Sport Bay of Plenty

What Sport Bay of Plenty does

Sport Bay of Plenty is a non-profit Regional Sports Trust (RST) established in 1987 and headquartered in Tauranga, New Zealand. It operates as one of 17 regionally-mandated trusts nationwide, delivering community-based physical activity, sport development, and health intervention programs across the Bay of Plenty region, served from offices in Tauranga, Rotorua, and Whakatāne. Core offerings include the Green Prescription healthy lifestyle programme (funded by Te Whatu Ora Health NZ and delivered via GP referrals), Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa funding for children and young people, the Keep on Your Feet fall-prevention programme for seniors, the Positive Vibes Only campaign for positive youth sport behaviour, coach development through CoachForce, school-based Healthy Active Learning, and an online Activity Directory of local clubs and recreation opportunities. The organization also develops strategic regional frameworks including the Spaces and Places Strategy and the PARS Strategy in collaboration with local councils.

The trust's revenue model is grant-based rather than transactional. Core funding flows from Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa, Te Whatu Ora Health NZ, primary health organizations, and local councils (Tauranga City Council, Rotorua Lakes Council), supplemented by regional charitable trusts (NZCT, BayTrust, Rotorua Trust) and corporate partnerships (notably Contact Energy's multi-year Taupō youth sport commitment through December 2027). Programmes are delivered at no cost to participants. The go-to-market approach is community-led: Sport Advisors and Community Sport Advisors based across the three offices deliver direct programmes, with an online Activity Directory providing self-serve discovery. Customers are segmented across rangatahi, adults, seniors, women and girls, Māori communities, coaches, clubs, and secondary schools/wharekura, with cultural competence in mātauranga Māori and community-led approaches serving as a differentiator.

The underlying technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary: a website (sportbop.co.nz), social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube), and an online Activity Directory. There is no app, no API surface, and no AI/ML capability disclosed. Notable leadership includes CEO Heidi Lichtwark, with recent senior hires in 2024 including Luuka Jones (Women and Girls Lead), Will Stewart (Strategic Māori Partnerships Manager), and Leah White (Sport Connect Advisor for Taupō). Governance was refreshed in 2025 with three new board trustees and the December 2025 conclusion of Board Chair Tom Elvin's tenure.

Name

Sport Bay of Plenty

Legal name

Sport Bay of Plenty

Website

https://sportbop.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sport Bay of Plenty is a non-profit Regional Sports Trust, established 1987, delivering government- and trust-funded physical activity, sport development, and health intervention programs across the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand from offices in Tauranga, Rotorua, and Whakatāne.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Sports Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE), Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF), Club Sports Programs (EDALAIAB)

Keywords

• Community sports programs
• Physical activity promotion
• Sport development services
• Youth sport initiatives
• Regional sports trust

Headquarters

HQ city

Tauranga

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government and Funder Support: Sport Bay of Plenty operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through government agencies and regional trusts. Major funders include Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa, Te Whatu Ora Health NZ, primary health organizations, and local councils.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sport Bay of Plenty is a Regional Sports Trust that delivers community-based physical activity programmes and services across the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Core offerings include the Green Prescription healthy lifestyle programme, Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa youth funding, Keep on your Feet fall-prevention classes for seniors, school-based Healthy Active Learning, club development support, and an online Activity Directory linking residents to local sport and recreation opportunities.

Product overview

Sport Bay of Plenty operates as a regional sports trust offering a portfolio of interconnected physical activity programmes and services. The core offerings include the Green Prescription healthy lifestyle programme, youth-focused Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa funding, the Keep on your Feet fall prevention programme for seniors, and the Positive Vibes Only campaign for positive youth sport behaviour. Supporting infrastructure includes the Activity Directory for finding local clubs and activities, Club Development support services, CoachForce for coach training, and Healthy Active Learning for schools. Strategic initiatives include the Spaces and Places Strategy for regional facility planning and the PARS Strategy for comprehensive physical activity planning. The organization functions as a coordination and facilitation body rather than a software platform, connecting community needs with council resources, funding opportunities, and regional sports organisations across the Bay of Plenty.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Green Prescription A healthy lifestyle programme supporting adults and families to become more physically active and improve nutrition habits, delivered in partnership with Te Whatu Ora Health NZ.
• Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa Sport NZ initiative providing funding for the delivery of activities for children and young people, with particular focus on groups who are less active including girls, young women, disabled people, and those in higher deprivation communities.
• Keep on your Feet A strength and balance programme supporting fall prevention for people aged 65 and over, designed to reduce the risk of falls through simple, effective exercises.
• CoachForce Coach development programme providing training, resources and support for coaches across the Bay of Plenty region.
• Healthy Active Learning School-based programme supporting health and physical education in schools through professional learning and resources for teachers.
• Activity Directory Online searchable directory helping people find sports clubs and recreation activities near them across the Bay of Plenty region.
• Club Development Support services for sports clubs and organisations including strategic planning, governance, and capability building.
• Youth Sport Programmes Sport and recreation opportunities for young people including school sport, youth partnerships, and rangatahi-focused initiatives.
• Funding Advisory Services Guidance and support for clubs and organisations to access funding sources including Tū Manawa and other funding programmes.
• Positive Vibes Only (Me pai te wairua) A regional campaign promoting positive behaviour in youth sport, encouraging respect, encouragement and good sideline behaviour across sporting environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49% of rangatahi engage in physical activity at least 5 days per week
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and major.

• Primary Health OrganisationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal health providers that refer patients to the Green Prescription programme, creating a healthcare-to-community physical activity pathway.
• Tauranga City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner for physical activity advocacy, facility planning, and community sport development. Sport Bay of Plenty makes submissions to council Long-term Plans.
• Rotorua Lakes CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner collaborating on the Bay of Plenty Spaces and Places Strategy and advocacy for recreation facilities.
• Māori Football Aotearoa (MFA)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver football experiences to tamariki at Whakarewarewa School, integrating cultural and sporting activities.
• Tauranga Netball CentresecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Positive Vibes Only (PVO) RSO collective promoting positive behaviour in youth sport across Bay of Plenty.
• Tauranga City Basketball AssociationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Positive Vibes Only (PVO) collective regional campaign.
• Tauranga Hockey AssociationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating in Positive Vibes Only campaign to create welcoming, respectful sporting environments.
• Bay of Plenty Hockey AssociationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of PVO collective supporting positive sideline behaviour and sporting culture.
• Waikato Bay of Plenty Football FederationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Positive Vibes Only regional initiative.
• Squash Bay of Plenty IncorporatedsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of PVO RSO collective.
• Bay Venues LimitedsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenues partner involved in Positive Vibes Only campaign and Pink Week initiatives.
• Parafed Bay of PlentycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alignment to enhance inclusive play and physical activity opportunities for people with disabilities across the region.
• Te Ika Whenua HauorasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMāori health organization collaborated on Green Prescription trial in Murupara.
• Māori Women's Welfare LeaguesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on Green Prescription trial in Murupara, instrumental in promoting programs to kaumātua.
• EastBay REAPsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEastern Bay community organization involved in Green Prescription trial partnerships.
• Lakeview Golf and Country ClubsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRotorua golf club rebuilding after 2020 fire, partnered with Rotorua Archery Club through Sport Bay of Plenty's Spaces and Places Strategy hubbing approach.
• Rotorua Archery ClubsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchery club gaining facilities through partnership with Lakeview Golf, enabled by Sport Bay of Plenty facilitation.
• Sport WaikatocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighboring Regional Sports Trust working jointly on Taupō youth sport initiative alongside Sport Bay of Plenty.
• Recreation Sport and Leisure Consultancy (RSL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAppointed to lead the Bay of Plenty Play, Active Recreation and Sport Strategy (PARS Strategy) development through collaborative process.
• Mataatua Sports TrustsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Ki-o-Rahi tournament supporting Māori games and physical activity in Eastern Bay schools.
• WaiBOP FootballsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional football federation involved in Māori Football Aotearoa initiative at Whakarewarewa School.
• Sport AucklandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided Matariki movement resources used in Sport Bay of Plenty education workshops.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aktive (Sport Auckland): Auckland Regional Sports Trust delivering community sport, recreation, and Green Prescription-style programmes in New Zealand's largest city. Closely comparable in terms of RST mandate, council/health partnerships, and youth-focused initiatives, but operates at much larger urban scale.
• Harbour Sport: Auckland-based Regional Sports Trust (separate from Aktive, focused on North/West Auckland) operating the same RST mandate at sub-regional level. Comparable in scale, target segments (youth, clubs, schools), and Green Prescription delivery.
• Sport Canterbury: Christchurch-based Regional Sports Trust with an identical mandate: increase community physical activity, support clubs, deliver school and Green Prescription programmes. Highly comparable in size, structure, and regional remit.
• Capital Sport: Wellington-region Regional Sports Trust delivering community sport and recreation programmes across an urban-suburban geography comparable to Tauranga/Whakatāne. Closely aligned with Sport Bay of Plenty in RST structure, funder relationships, and programme portfolio.
• Sport Waikato: Neighbouring New Zealand Regional Sports Trust operating under the same Sport NZ-funded RST model. Already explicitly partnered with Sport Bay of Plenty on the Taupō youth sport initiative with Contact Energy, making it the most directly comparable peer in operations, funding structure, and programmatic mix.
• NorthSport: Northland Regional Sports Trust delivering the same community sport and recreation mandate in a more rural/deprived regional context. Comparable RST structure, programme mix, and reliance on council/health funding relationships.
• Sport Tasman: Top-of-South-Island Regional Sports Trust delivering community sport, recreation, and physical activity programmes through council and health partnerships. Directly comparable peer along mandate, funding model, and programmatic offerings.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA New Zealand: Larger established charitable organisation operating community recreation, youth, and health-wellness programmes nationally. Overlaps with Sport Bay of Plenty on youth physical activity and falls-prevention (Keep on Your Feet) work, but operates facility-based clubs rather than a regional trust mandate.
• Sport New Zealand (Ihi Aotearoa): The national crown entity that funds and oversees all 17 Regional Sports Trusts. While not a direct competitor (it is Sport Bay of Plenty's principal funder and policy setter), it is the broad incumbent in the same space, setting strategy (PARS, Spaces and Places) and commissioning regional delivery.

Others

• Recreation Aotearoa: National industry body for the recreation sector (pools, parks, councils, community recreation) that overlaps with Sport BOP's active-recreation remit. Comparable in community-recreation advocacy but focused on facility operators rather than direct sport development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Sportbayofplenty
• Facebookfacebook.com/sportbayofplenty
• LinkedInnz.linkedin.com/company/sport-bay-of-plenty
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportbayofplenty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sport Bay of Plenty