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The sporting welfare and development of our NZ children has never been more important given the increasing demands on our young people today.
With numerous amounts of research completed in understanding the best ways of providing sport and activity to our Tamariki and Rangatahi age groups, Sport NZ has outlined a strategy called Balance is Better in order to enhance the long term mental and physical health and wellbeing of children.
By addressing unnecessary pressures on our Tamariki, we will go a long way in also retaining children in sport through the next stages of their lives whilst enhancing their chances of becoming lifelong lovers of sport. Touch NZ, along with many other NSO’s in New Zealand are responding to the evidence and encompassing a holistic approach to ensure the individuals experience is first and foremost.
Touch NZ agrees that this strategy is the best and most effective long-term solution for our Tamariki and Rangatahi, and have crafted the Touch Junior Policy (supported with the principles of AWHI), to provide a framework for children’s participation in the game of Touch and Turbo Touch.
Following meetings with each of the Touch Provincial Associations, the Junior Touch Policy and suggested models provided in the Junior Touch Implementation Framework presentation, is the result of those discussions and follows Sport NZ’s guidelines. This also includes reducing focus on early specialisation, emphasis on winning and other factors that are driving too many young New Zealanders away from sport.
We believe this new and encompassing approach will see more children participating in Touch, as well as increase the skill levels and development of more Junior players across New Zealand.
For more detail on the background and rationale see below.
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