Blind Sport New Zealand

What Blind Sport New Zealand does

Blind Sport New Zealand (Blind Sport NZ) is the designated National Disability Sport Organisation for blind and low vision sport in Aotearoa New Zealand. The organisation exists to give blind and low vision New Zealanders access to quality sport experiences and meaningful participation, operating across both the North and South Islands. Its core offerings are the Accessible Sport Kit — a free lending program providing adaptive sports equipment for six team and individual sports (goalball, cricket, football, basketball, rugby, tennis) plus accessories such as audible balls, blackout shades, running tethers, knee pads, whistles, ball pumps, floor markers, and first aid kits — distributed across 17 regions via pickup points co-located at Blind Low Vision offices, ParaFed offices, BLENNZ resource centres, Sport Otago, Ministry of Education offices, and Halberg at Sport Taranaki. Standard booking periods are two weeks.

Complementing the kit lending program, Blind Sport NZ delivers training and workshops on inclusive coaching and adaptive equipment for sport organisations, schools, and clubs; provides vision impairment classification services for competitive sport eligibility (provisional, national, and international) across athletics, swimming, goalball, judo, and tandem cycling in coordination with Paralympics New Zealand; and operates free individual membership and paid organisation membership programs. A 2026 Emerging Athlete Weekend (Christchurch, 21–23 August 2026) has been announced for athletes aged 13+.

The business model is non-commercial: individual membership is free (freemium), organisation membership is subscription-based with pricing not publicly disclosed, kit borrowing is free with donations welcomed, and revenue is otherwise not publicly disclosed. The organisation is governed by a 9-member board (including two Co-Chairpersons) and operated by a 3-person team led by General Manager Helen Johnson, whose background includes the International Paralympic Committee and Paralympics New Zealand. Blind Sport NZ maintains alignment with the International Blind Sport Association (IBSA) and partners with Tennis NZ, Halberg Disability Sport Foundation, Special Olympics, and Disability Sport Auckland for co-delivery. There is no mobile app, no public API, and no proprietary technology platform — the operational backbone is human-delivered programs and physical equipment circulation.

Name

Blind Sport New Zealand

Legal name

Blind Sport New Zealand

Website

https://blindsport.kiwi

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Blind Sport New Zealand is the National Disability Sport Organisation providing blind and low vision New Zealanders with adaptive equipment lending, training, classification, and membership programs across 17 regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Sport Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability & Adaptive Sport Governing Bodies (Paralympic & Sport-Specific) (MPAKAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adaptive & Para-Sport Event Organizers (MPAKADAM), Adaptive & Para-Sport Training Programs (MPAKAJAK), Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics) (MPAKACAH), Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

Keywords

• Adaptive sports equipment
• Blind sport classification
• Disability sport services
• Inclusive coaching training
• Sport membership programs

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership: Free individual membership is open to anyone interested in blind and low vision sport, serving as a register of people and providing updates, opportunities, and information.
2. Organisation Membership: Organization membership for national/regional organizations, local clubs, disability service providers, and advocacy groups that support blind and low vision sport participation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Blind Sport NZ is the National Disability Sport Organisation for blind and low vision sport in Aotearoa New Zealand, providing a coordinated suite of services: free lending of the Accessible Sport Kit (adaptive equipment for 6 sports across 17 regions), tailored training and workshops on inclusive coaching, vision impairment classification services for competitive sport eligibility, and free individual and organisation membership programs. The organisation connects athletes with vision impairment to quality sport experiences through equipment access, classification, training, and a national network of partner organisations.

Product overview

Blind Sport NZ operates as a National Disability Sport Organisation offering a coordinated suite of services for blind and low vision sport in Aotearoa New Zealand. The core offerings include: the Accessible Sport Kit lending program (providing free equipment for 6 sports across 17 regions), Training and Workshops (inclusive coaching and adaptive equipment training), Classification Services (provisional, national, and international vision impairment classification), and Membership programs (free individual and organisation memberships). Additional offerings include the Emerging Athlete Weekend program and digital resources like the instruction manual. These services work together to connect athletes with sport opportunities, support participation at grassroots and competitive levels, and provide equipment, training, and guidance to sports organisations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accessible Sport Kit

Quantifiable outcome

• Accessible Sport Kit available in 17 regions across New Zealand
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blind Low Vision NZ (Waikato, Palmerston North, Whanganui, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, Invercargill)coreOthersBlind Low Vision NZ offices serve as kit locations for the Accessible Sport Kit lending program across multiple regions including Waikato, Palmerston North, Whanganui, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, and Invercargill.
• ParaFed NorthlandcoreOthersParaFed Northland serves as a kit location for the Accessible Sport Kit lending program in the Whangarei region.
• BLENNZ (Gisborne and Nelson Visual Resource Centres)coreOthersBLENNZ Gisborne and Nelson Visual Resource Centres serve as kit locations for the Accessible Sport Kit lending program.
• Sport Otago OfficecoreOthersSport Otago Office serves as the kit location for the Accessible Sport Kit lending program in the Dunedin region.
• Ministry of Education Office TaurangacoreOthersMinistry of Education Office in Tauranga serves as a kit location for the Accessible Sport Kit lending program.
• Halberg at Sport TaranakicoreOthersHalberg at Sport Taranaki serves as the kit location for the Accessible Sport Kit lending program in the New Plymouth region.
• Halberg Disability Sport FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlind Sport NZ collaborates with Halberg Disability Sport Foundation on training days and events, such as the Harbour Sports Training Day. They co-deliver inclusive sport training and awareness workshops together.
• Special OlympicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlind Sport NZ collaborates with Special Olympics on training days and events, such as the Harbour Sports Training Day, to promote inclusive sport opportunities.
• Disability Sport AucklandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlind Sport NZ collaborates with Disability Sport Auckland on training days and events, such as the Harbour Sports Training Day, to support inclusive sport delivery.
• Tennis NZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlind Sport NZ worked with Tennis NZ to deliver blind and low vision tennis coaching training modules to coaches at Tennis NZ headquarters, enabling coaches to run BLV sessions in their clubs.
• Paralympics New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParalympics New Zealand works with Blind Sport NZ for classification of Para sports athletes. NZ National Sports Organisations coordinate with PNZ and Blind Sport NZ for the classification process.
• HART Sport (NZ)minorOthersRecommended equipment supplier for adapted sport equipment based in New Zealand.
• Goalfix (UK)minorOthersRecommended equipment supplier for goalball and other adapted sport equipment from the UK.
• Handilife Sport (Denmark)minorOthersRecommended equipment supplier for adapted sport equipment from Denmark.
• Shoei Industry (Japan)minorOthersRecommended equipment supplier for adapted sport equipment from Japan.
• Functional Adaptive Movement (FAM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for athletes seeking guidance on building sport skills and movement.
• International Blind Sport Association (IBSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational governing body for blind sport that sets classification standards and organizes international competitions. Blind Sport NZ maintains links with IBSA to ensure practices remain current and up to date.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Disability Sport Auckland: Auckland-based regional disability sport organization providing inclusive sport opportunities across multiple impairment types. Comparable as a co-delivery partner in the Auckland region and as a regional alternative/feeder for Blind Sport NZ's national programs.
• Parafed Northland: Regional Paralympic federation in Northland that supports physically disabled athletes, including those with vision impairment. Comparable as a kit-location partner for Blind Sport NZ and as a regional delivery arm serving similar athlete populations.

Direct peers

• Paralympics New Zealand: The NZ Paralympic national body, responsible for sending NZ Para athletes to the Paralympic Games including vision-impaired athletes. Comparable as a high-performance disability sport organization that Blind Sport NZ feeds via classification services and athlete development pathways.
• Special Olympics New Zealand: NZ affiliate of Special Olympics providing year-round sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities, with some overlap in athletes who have multiple disabilities including vision impairment. Partners with Blind Sport NZ on training days like Harbour Sports Training Day.
• Halberg Disability Sport Foundation: New Zealand's broader disability sport foundation that includes physical disability, vision impairment, and intellectual disability athletes. Directly comparable as a National Disability Sport Organization in NZ with overlapping athlete populations, shared events, and co-delivered training, and an active partner of Blind Sport NZ.
• Blind Sports Australia: Australian national body for blind sport, providing classification, programs, and competitive opportunities for vision-impaired athletes. Closest international peer in terms of geography, mandate, and the IBSA-aligned governance structure Blind Sport NZ operates under.
• British Blind Sport: UK national disability sport organization for blind and partially sighted people. Directly comparable as an international peer operating the same national governing role for blind sport in the UK, with similar membership, training, and event delivery models.
• Blind Low Vision NZ: NZ's primary provider of support and services for people who are blind or have low vision. Comparable as the broader non-sport disability service organization whose offices host Blind Sport NZ's accessible kit lending program and share the same end-user population.
• US Association of Blind Athletes (USABA): US national organization for blind and visually impaired athletes, providing sports programming, grants, and competitive pathways. Comparable as a larger-market peer operating an analogous national mandate, useful as a reference point for organizational design and revenue model maturity.

Broad incumbents

• International Blind Sport Association (IBSA): International governing body for blind sport that Blind Sport NZ is affiliated with. Comparable as the upstream organization setting classification rules and organizing international competitions that Blind Sport NZ athletes participate in.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blind-sport-new-zealand

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Blind Sport New Zealand