NZ sports get $93.69mn in govt funding

High Performance Sport New Zealand on Wednesday announced NZ$162.8mn ($93.69mn) in government funding for Olympic and Paralympic sports in the run-up to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.New Zealand enjoyed its best ever Olympics in Paris earlier this year and most sports that helped towards its tally of 10 golds, seven silver and three bronze medals have been rewarded with consistent or extra funding.Some sports, such as diving, surfing, golf and badminton, will get no funding, while others, such as swimming and hockey, will receive reduced investments.Among those receiving lower funding is the men’s All Blacks Rugby Sevens team, which lost to South Africa in the quarter-finals in Paris and finished fifth."We understand that some sports will be disappointed with these decisions,” said HPSNZ’s director of high performance Steve Tew, a former chief executive of New Zealand Rugby."This was a robust process with a focus on winning medals at the LA 2028 Olympics and Paralympics and other pinnacle events during the cycle.”Although the funding models are not identical, Britain this week announced an investment of £330mn ($419.43mn) in Olympic and Paralympic sports over the same period.Australia in November said A$385mn ($243.90mn)would be granted to Summer and Winter Olympic and Paralympic sports over the next 18 months.Meanwhile the New Zealand Olympic Committee has appointed octosport as its commercial agency – with the organisations to work collaboratively to find partners of the New Zealand Team to the next Summer Olympic, Olympic Winter and Commonwealth Games and beyond.The New Zealand Team is predominantly funded by commercial brands to get its Teams to Games and to spread the Olympic movement through schools and communities.Octosport is a sports marketing, advisory and capital raising firm, dedicated to unlocking the full potential for rights holders, governing bodies, competition organisers and those operating within the dynamic world of sports.Co-founded by Richard Thomas and Karl Budge, they bring an incredible track record of success with major global rights holders and domestically in New Zealand including New Zealand Rugby, ASB Classic and SailGPNicki Nicol, New Zealand Olympic Committee Secretary General and CEO says she’s pleased to appoint octosport."We’re delighted to be working with octosport to drive our commercial programme forward and build on the inspiring brand and performance of our Team’s over the last 100 years. Richard and Karl come with a huge amount of respect and relationships in the sport and business communities in New Zealand and we look forward to collaborating with them to build on our commercial foundations and set us up for the future”."We are honoured to partner with the New Zealand Olympic Committee, the pinnacle of sports properties in New Zealand,” said Budge. "Few teams or events capture the hearts of Kiwis and unite the nation around a shared passion quite like the New Zealand Team during Games times. As we look ahead to one of the most exciting periods in Olympic history, from Milano Cortina 2026, through LA2028 and to Brisbane 2032 almost in our backyard, we are excited to help bring the values of the New Zealand Team to life through innovative and meaningful partnerships.”The NZOC will be sending a Team to upcoming Games including; the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic Games, as well as various pre-elite multisport events across the quadrennial.