Review of Territorial Authority Recreation and Sport Facility Management Models

Fay Freeman and Associates Ltd

Freeman Associates for Sport NZ

Grant McLean, Principal Advisor Research, Sport NZ: e-mail: grant.mclean@sportnz.org.nz

Sport and recreation services are core services of Territorial Authorities but their delivery can be through a mix of models.  Territorial Authorities (TAs) have a history of investing in sport and recreation facilities within their communities as a core public service to achieve community outcomes.  Typically such facilities are recreation centres and aquatic centres.  Individual TAs have made decisions around how best to structure the management of these facilities based on variable levels of knowledge and differing levels of analysis, often driven by financial factors.   

Sport NZ has commissioned this piece of work to support TAs in their core services to increase access, participation and value for money in the management of sports and recreation assets.  The outcome is to provide an independent, fact-based guide that can be used by TA’s throughout New Zealand to support better informed decision-making around management of sport and recreation facilities in their communities. 

The review will canvass a broader range of management options for TAs to consider based on New Zealand and international practice over and above the most common models such as Council as the owner/operator, Council as the owner using a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) as operator, through to full outsource of management and service delivery to private providers, trusts and RSTs and other potential approaches. 

The approach is to produce an independent evidence-based outline of the strengths and weaknesses of each model, given the New Zealand regulatory environment and based on strategic decision-making and policy/legislative considerations of TAs.

The methodology includes identifying a number of ‘study groups’ that will capture a range of current facility management approaches across the country (from large metropolitan areas to small rural TAs) and some international practice will also be considered for options currently less common in New Zealand but potentially worthy of consideration.

The project started in late June and is due for completion in December 2012. Two documents are being produced, a full report and a practical User Guide.

Keywords:

Territorial Authorities, TAs, RSTs, private providers, trusts, Value for money, council controlled organisation (CCO),

10/06/2012 - 31/10/2012

Review

National

Facilities

Commercial, Facilities (indoor), Facilities (outdoor), Organised, Pools

Benefits, charges, Delivery, Fees, Fees, charges, user pays, Financing / funding, Impacts - economic, Impacts- social, Management, Participation, Planning, Policy, user pays

430

July 12, 2012

November 28, 2012