Case Studies – Creating Healthier, Happier More Connected Communities

We have listed some examples to show the diversity of work we have been doing in the community especially those who are isolated or in high deprivation areas.

Community Engagement at Cultural Festivals Around Auckland

ABS engage with a range of diverse communities and introduce them to ways they can stay active longer term.

• Lantern Festival – an important Chinese Festival in Auckland this provided a great opportunity to support and link into both the

Asian and general community, help them develop skills and have fun with fun basketball games and link them to otheR opportunities in their community.

• Rainbow Festival – a festival for those from the Rainbow Community, this allowed us to connect with them directly, support the festival with coaching and provide a way for the community to get active in sport and meet new friends.

• CM Games - held in South Auckland this is an event for school children in year 5 to 8 and provides important access to sporting events. ABS provides coaching support and runs games to allow them to be active and we can also connect with school leaders to identify constraints that could be affecting more young people accessing sport in schools.

Inclusivity Programs

Initiatives to help provide more support. These included:

• Halberg Games – supporting the games with coaching and fun games that allows children to be more active.

• Inclusion Unit In School Support

The Inclusion Units were designed to create a structured environment for students with disabilities to play basketball. The programs focused on building basic sports skills and fostering an inclusive atmosphere for students to compete in regional tournaments. Coaches emphasised adaptive methods, tailoring drills and exercises to fit students' varying abilities.

• 9 Schools - we went into 9 schools including Selwyn College, Oaklynn College, Mt Roskill Grammar, Marcellin College, Lynfield College, Green Bay High School, Arohanui School, Waitakere College and Tamaki College
  
• 426 Children - we delivered to 426 children with special needs or disabilities.
  
• Individual Support - we provided coaching and fun games to help them get active and learn skills often with modified versions of the sport. We worked with teachers to tailor the program to each individual.
  
• Improvement in Skills and Sense of Wellbeing - we were able to show measurable improvement in the skills of the children including both cognitive and physical skills, self-esteem and communication.
  
• Holiday Program – a holiday program for low-needs disability children was developed in partnership with ReCreate NZ. It offered a safe, supportive environment for physical activity and social engagement. It was well attended and really appreciated by the children.
  
• Special Olympics – support for the Special Olympics run at the Barfoot and Thompson Stadium in 2024, providing coaches and officials for the games.

Girls Got Game Programs

We have been running a Basketball NZ Girls program called Girls Got Game across Auckland. It is designed to help more girls get active in the sport and to teach skills in a girls-only environment in both indoor and outdoor locations. This helps to create friendships and connections to encourage girls to stay in the sport long term. We ran both indoor and outdoor sessions.

International research matches our own observations that having Girls-only programs can help girls build confidence and stay in the sport longer, as it allows them to build friendships and skills. The social aspect of sport has been shown to be a key factor in keeping girls active in sport. The program included:

• Girls Glow Festival - this is where food, music and glow in the dark lighting is provided to help give a sense of fun and connection to encourage long term participation in sport.

• Coaching and Games Program – coaching is provided in indoor and outdoor community spaces, in schools and in the community to support girls into basketball. This is matched with fun games. We help schools develop programs and enter girls-only competitions.

• Wahine Hoops Club - the program also links into other girls’ pathways. One such example of the Hoop Club Wāhine is a new basketball programme designed to help the next generation of Wāhine into the game of basketball.

• Bridge Combined Competition – for more competitive women, there is now a new program which involves women from North Harbour Basketball and Auckland Basketball, which is a new initiative. It provides organised games and a special women 's-only competition that is part of the broader pathway being developed for girls and women in basketball. The first event held in 2024 was a great success.

Pop-Up/Portable Basketball and Outdoor Basketball

This is now across the whole of the Association and very useful in helping us reach isolated juniors and youth. This is used in a variety of programs including boosting capacity for in school coaching, coaching at festivals, girls’ programs, as well as going into community spaces to help develop and connect groups playing in the community.

We have run programs both indoors and outdoors for children, often in combination with programs listed in other case studies. It has allowed us to boost capacity so that we can tailor programs to more people and also run events in areas that we could not have done otherwise.

Outdoor Basketball is also very important for those in high-deprivation areas, as it allows them to access these at no cost to play with friends and family. This also plays a key role in some schools that may not have access to indoor gyms or facilities and on some Marae. We are able to show them how to set up the sport and provide training for students in the school.