Southland Sports

What Southland Sports does

Active Southland (formerly Sport Southland) is a regional sports trust established in 1990 under principles created by the Hillary Commission, now Sport New Zealand, and rebranded in 2021 to its current name. The trust delivers health, education, and community recreation programmes across the Southland region of New Zealand, serving tamariki (children 5–11), rangatahi (youth 11–18), adults, families, and seniors. Its portfolio includes government-funded health services (Green Prescription, Active Families, Tōku Oranga), school-based programmes (Healthy Active Learning, Rangatahi), community play and senior engagement (Play / Tākaro, Invercargill KiwiSeniors), regional facility planning (Spaces and Places, Recreation Hubs, Community Pools), incorporated-societies compliance support, and event services. The trust operates from ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill and a satellite office at Gore Multisports Complex, with staff embedded directly in primary schools and medical practices in Invercargill, Gore, and Te Anau.

The business model is government-funded and non-commercial. All core programmes are provided free of charge to participants. Revenue is sourced from Sport New Zealand, Ministry of Education, and Te Whatu Ora (Ministry of Health), supplemented by local charitable trusts (Community Trust South, ILT Foundation, Mataura Licensing Trust, Invercargill Licensing Trust) and collaborative arrangements with Invercargill City Council, Southland District Council, and Gore District Council. Active Southland also administers the Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa fund (up to $20,000 per applicant) and the Invercargill Active Communities grant programme (up to $4,000) on behalf of funders, creating a flow-through grant-administration function alongside direct programme delivery. Go-to-market is community-led: embedded facilitators, healthcare and school referral channels, the Find a Sport online directory, website, email, and community events and workshops.

The technology layer is modest and supporting rather than product-defining. Active Southland does not offer a unified technology platform or software product. Its digital footprint comprises online referral and registration forms, an event-management system, virtual consultation channels (phone, video, face-to-face), a website with programme information and blog content, email newsletter channels, and Facebook organic social. The Find a Sport directory aggregates links to 50+ regional sport providers. Operational technology includes basic digital/IT administration and SharePoint-based staff login. Competitive differentiation rests on programme design, regional distribution, embedded relationships, and multi-stakeholder coordination rather than proprietary technology.

Name

Southland Sports

Legal name

Active Southland

Website

https://sportsouthland.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Active Southland is a New Zealand regional sports trust delivering free, government-funded health, education, and community recreation programmes across the Southland region to children, youth, families, adults, and seniors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Recreation Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKAKAJ

Sports Community Relations & Grassroots Program Management

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Management & Promotion Services

SECONDARYEDALAIAM

Athletics Marketing, Communications & Fan Engagement

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Athletics, Recreation & Fitness

SECONDARYMPAKACAE

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Collegiate & Amateur Sports Organizations (NCAA, Federations, Clubs)

Keywords

• Regional sports trust
• Community recreation programs
• Physical activity promotion
• Healthy lifestyle services
• Youth sports development

Headquarters

HQ city

Invercargill

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary revenue from government sources including Sport New Zealand, Ministry of Education, and Te Whatu Ora (Ministry of Health) to deliver health and physical activity programs across Southland.
2. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from local charitable trusts including Community Trust South, ILT Foundation, and Mataura Licensing Trust to support regional sports infrastructure and community programs.
3. Council Partnerships: Collaborative funding arrangements with Invercargill City Council, Southland District Council, and Gore District Council for regional facility planning and community recreation initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Southland Sports (operating as Active Southland) is a regional sports trust that delivers free, government-funded programs supporting physical activity, healthy eating, play, active recreation, and sport across the Southland region of New Zealand. Its core offerings include health navigation services for individuals and families (Green Prescription, Active Families, Tōku Oranga), school-based health curriculum support (Healthy Active Learning), youth sport programs (Rangatahi), community play initiatives (Tākaro), facility planning support (Spaces and Places), and funding administration (Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa, Invercargill Active Communities).

Product overview

Active Southland is a regional sports trust offering a diverse portfolio of health, education, and community programs rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include Green Prescription (GRx), Active Families, and Tōku Oranga for health support; Healthy Active Learning and Rangatahi for youth development; Play (Tākaro) and Invercargill KiwiSeniors for community engagement; and Find a Sport/Getting Started as directory and guidance services. The organization also provides Spaces and Places, Community Pools, and Recreation Hubs for facility planning support, along with funding programs (Tū Manawa and Invercargill Active Communities) and Incorporated Societies compliance support. The organization does not offer a technology platform or software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Green Prescription (GRx)

Quantifiable outcome

• Healthy Active Learning programme supports Southland primary schools with curriculum delivery, teacher training, and community connections
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Invercargill City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner collaborating on Spaces and Places Strategy and community recreation initiatives. Council provides support for play initiatives and facility planning.
• Southland District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner in Southland Spaces and Places Strategy collaboration for regional facility planning and community recreation.
• Gore District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner in East Gore neighbourhood play initiative and broader regional recreation planning. Council mayor Tracy Hicks publicly supported community play initiatives.
• Ministry of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry partnering in the joint Healthy Active Learning initiative alongside Sport NZ and Te Whatu Ora to improve child wellbeing through healthy eating, drinking and quality physical activity in schools.
• Te Whatu Ora (Ministry of Health)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment health authority partnering in Healthy Active Learning joint initiative with Sport NZ and Ministry of Education to address child wellbeing through physical activity and nutrition.
• WellSouth Primary Health NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary health organisation hosting Tōku Oranga programme information and connecting patients with health journey support services through participating medical practices.
• ILT Stadium SouthlandsupportingOthersMajor sports facility in Invercargill housing Active Southland headquarters. Provides venue for events, activities, and community recreation programmes.
• Gore Multisports ComplexsupportingOthersMulti-sport facility in Gore housing Active Southland's eastern Southland office. Provides community recreation facilities for the Gore district.
• East Gore SchoolsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal school and community hub for neighbourhood play initiative pilot. Principal Wendy Kitto serves as community champion for play, supporting East Gore School's involvement as a Healthy Active Learning school.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sport Canterbury: Regional sports trust serving the Canterbury/West Coast region under the same Sport NZ network model. Directly comparable as a government-funded trust delivering Green Prescription, school-based healthy-active-learning, play, and community sport programmes to a defined New Zealand region.
• Sport Wellington: Wellington-region sports trust within the same national network, delivering parallel Green Prescription, play, and community sport programmes. Direct structural peer for funder mix, embedded staff model, and community-embedded GTM motion.
• Sport Otago: Neighbouring South Island regional sports trust with the same Sport NZ affiliation and community-led operating model. Directly comparable for Green Prescription delivery, school-based healthy-active-learning, and funding-administration roles.
• Aktive – Sport & Recreation Auckland: Auckland regional sports trust operating the same Sport NZ-aligned mandate at much larger scale. Comparable programme mix including Green Prescription, community sport funding, and school partnerships, but serving a metro rather than rural region.
• Sport Hawke's Bay: Regional sports trust for Hawke's Bay with the same Sport NZ trust governance and programme portfolio (Green Prescription, school support, community sport funding). Directly comparable operating model and funding mix.
• Sport Waikato: Regional sports trust for the Waikato region operating under the identical Sport NZ trust framework. Comparable mandate of community sport, active recreation, and play programmes delivered through schools, councils, and health partners.

Emerging players

• Parks and Recreation Australia (Ausplay network): Comparable Australasian community-sport/recreation delivery model funded through government grants and partnerships. Provides an emerging-market analogue for how regional sport-and-recreation trusts can scale preventative-health programming.

Broad incumbents

• Sport New Zealand: National crown entity that funds and oversees all regional sports trusts including Active Southland. Comparable in mission space (community sport and active recreation) but operates at policy, funding, and national-programme scale rather than as a regional delivery trust.
• Healthy Families New Zealand: National government-led prevention initiative (hosted by Active Southland's Healthy Families Invercargill location). Adjacent and partially overlapping mandate around physical activity and nutrition in communities, but operates at national scale rather than as a regional trust.

Regional players

• WellSouth Primary Health Network: Primary health organisation covering the same Southland region that co-hosts Active Southland's Tōku Oranga health coaches in medical practices. Comparable end-customer base (Southland patients needing lifestyle support) but focused on clinical primary care rather than recreation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southland-sports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Southland Sports