Recreation Aotearoa
Recreation Aotearoa is the Wellington-headquartered national membership association for New Zealand's recreation sector, providing advocacy, professional accreditation (ARPro), aquatic safety certification (PoolSafe), mentorship, events, and sector representation across Aquatics, Parks, Outdoors, and Community Recreation sub-verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersWellington, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Recreation Aotearoa does
Recreation Aotearoa is a Wellington-headquartered, membership-based industry association that operates as the national professional body for New Zealand's recreation sector across four sub-verticals: Aquatics, Parks/Play/Open Spaces, Outdoors, and Community Recreation. Previously known as the New Zealand Recreation Association, the organization delivers a portfolio of programmes rather than a single software product, including the PoolSafe® aquatic safety certification (covering 150+ of NZ's 214 public pools), ARPro professional accreditation, the Tuakana-Teina mentorship programme, QualityPool® quality assurance, PoolTest, Yardstick benchmarking, and Kia Rite Hoea water safety education. Its underlying technology stack is operational rather than productized, consisting of a Glueup-based event and membership management platform combined with proprietary certification rubrics and on-site assessment workflows. PoolSafe carries regulatory weight: non-compliant facilities are reported to Worksafe New Zealand and Water Safety New Zealand.
The organization's revenue model is subscription-recurring, built on tiered membership (Subscriber, Individual, Organisation), per-facility PoolSafe certification fees ($1,050 +GST for Level 1; up to an additional $1,050 +GST for Level 2 follow-up), events and conference fees (e.g., Waves aquatics conference, Recreation Leaders Summit), and sponsorship from a defined set of strategic and industry partners including Sport New Zealand, Te Mahi Ako, Belgravia Leisure, Beca, CLM, HDT, Syngenta, Watershed, Xyst, and NZCT. Go-to-market is direct-to-enterprise and direct-to-individual via the website, reinforced by an event-driven engagement model and a multi-channel presence (newsletter e-Pānui, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook). The leadership team comprises 12 programme and operations roles spanning Aquatics, Parks, Outdoors & Community, Disability & Inclusion, and Māori Outcomes, supported by a Board, Te Kāhui Kura Māori, and Regional Advisory Groups. No external ownership, funding rounds, or M&A activity is indicated.
Recreation Aotearoa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Recreation Aotearoa
- Legal name
- Recreation Aotearoa
- Website
- https://nzrecreation.org.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Recreation Aotearoa is the Wellington-headquartered national membership association for New Zealand's recreation sector, providing advocacy, professional accreditation (ARPro), aquatic safety certification (PoolSafe), mentorship, events, and sector representation across Aquatics, Parks, Outdoors, and Community Recreation sub-verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Recreation Aotearoa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recreation Industry Association Services
- NAICS
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)
Keywords
Where Recreation Aotearoa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wellington
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Recreation Aotearoa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Membership subscriptions: Recreation Aotearoa generates revenue through individual, subscriber, and organization membership fees, providing access to professional development, networking, and sector representation.
- PoolSafe certification fees: PoolSafe membership fees of $1050 +GST for Level 1 certification, with additional $1050 +GST for Level 2 follow-up compliance visits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | PoolSafe Level 1 - First visit compliance |
| Subscription | Annual | PoolSafe Level 2 - Follow-up compliance |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Recreation Aotearoa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Recreation Aotearoa is a membership-based national professional association for the recreation sector in Aotearoa New Zealand, providing individual, subscriber, and organizational memberships alongside a portfolio of programmes including aquatic facility safety certification (PoolSafe), professional accreditation (ARPro), quality assurance (QualityPool), pool testing (PoolTest), benchmarking tools (Yardstick), and the Tuākana-Teina mentorship programme. The organization delivers sector advocacy, industry events and conferences, awards programmes, and professional development resources for professionals across Aquatics, Community, Outdoors, and Parks, Play & Open Spaces sectors.
Product overview
Recreation Aotearoa is the national membership organization for the recreation sector in New Zealand. Rather than offering a single software product, the organization provides a portfolio of professional programmes and services for the recreation industry including aquatic facilities, community recreation, outdoor recreation, and parks/open spaces. The core offerings include accreditation programmes (ARPro), pool safety certification (PoolSafe®), quality assurance (QualityPool®), pool testing services (PoolTest), benchmarking tools (Yardstick), and mentorship programmes (Tuākana–Teina). The organization also facilitates industry events, awards, advocacy, and professional development for sector members across Aquatics, Community, Outdoors, and Parks/Play/Open Spaces sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PoolSafe®: A pool safety certification membership program for public aquatic facilities in New Zealand
- QualityPool®
- PoolTest
- ARPro accreditation
- Kia Rite Hoea
- Tuākana–Teina Mentorship Programme
Products and services
- PoolSafe® PoolSafe is a membership scheme for public swimming pools that assesses and certifies pool safety standards through online and onsite evaluation visits, with two levels of compliance for aquatic facilities.
- ARPro Accreditation A professional accreditation programme for recreation practitioners that supports career development and provides recognized credentialing for industry practitioners across the recreation sector.
- Tuākana-Teina Mentorship Programme A Māori-guided mentorship programme connecting experienced and emerging recreation professionals for knowledge sharing, professional growth, and sector leadership development.
- QualityPool® A quality assurance programme for swimming pools that verifies compliance with operational and safety standards for aquatic facilities.
- PoolTest A testing programme for swimming pools that verifies water quality and compliance with safety standards at aquatic facilities.
- Yardstick An assessment and benchmarking tool for recreation facilities and services, used to evaluate performance across the sector.
- Kia Rite Hoea A programme supporting safe swimming practices and water safety education for the recreation sector.
- Recreation Aotearoa Memberships Tiered membership subscriptions (Subscriber, Individual, Organisation) providing access to professional development, networking events, sector advocacy, awards programmes, and professional accreditation pathways.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 150 of New Zealand's 214 public pools are PoolSafe members
Companies that use Recreation Aotearoa
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Recreation Aotearoa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Recreation Aotearoa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Sport New ZealandcoreSport New Zealand (SportNZ) is listed as a Strategic Partner of Recreation Aotearoa, working collaboratively to support and advance recreation and sport outcomes across New Zealand.
- SyngentaminorListed as a Strategic Partner, Syngenta supports Recreation Aotearoa's mission in the recreation and parks sector.
- Te Mahi AkocoreTe Mahi Ako (VOCEC) is a Strategic Partner supporting vocational education and training connections for the recreation sector workforce.
- WatershedminorListed as a Strategic Partner, Watershed supports Recreation Aotearoa's sector initiatives.
- Filtration and Pumping Co (FPC)minorListed as a Strategic Partner providing expertise in filtration and pumping solutions for aquatic facilities.
- XystminorListed as a Strategic Partner, Xyst supports Recreation Aotearoa's parks and recreation initiatives.
- HDT (Architecture)minorIndustry Partner providing architectural expertise relevant to recreation facility design and development.
- BecaminorIndustry Partner providing engineering and advisory services for recreation infrastructure projects.
- Belgravia LeisureminorIndustry Partner and major operator of aquatic and recreation facilities across New Zealand, actively recruiting through the job board.
- CLMminorIndustry Partner providing facility and recreation management services.
- New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT)minorIndustry Partner supporting community recreation and sport through funding and partnership.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Recreation Aotearoa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sport and Recreation Alliance (UK): The UK Sport and Recreation Alliance is the membership association representing sport, recreation, and leisure organisations, providing advocacy, governance support, and shared services - functionally similar to Recreation Aotearoa's role as the recognized voice of the recreation sector in New Zealand.
- Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA): CPRA is the national association for parks and recreation professionals across Canada, providing advocacy, professional development, and sector recognition - a structurally similar federation model to Recreation Aotearoa across parks, recreation, and community programming.
- National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA): NRPA is the US national membership body advancing parks, recreation, and conservation through professional development, accreditation (CPRE), and advocacy - the closest direct international analogue to Recreation Aotearoa's sector-wide federation model across aquatics, parks, outdoors, and community recreation.
- Water Safety New Zealand: Water Safety New Zealand is the drowning prevention agency that receives PoolSafe compliance referrals and engages the same aquatic facility operators and lifeguard workforce that Recreation Aotearoa certifies through PoolSafe and the OPSEC National Pool Lifeguard Competition.
- Parks and Leisure Australia (PLA): PLA is the Australian peak industry body for public open space, parks, leisure, and recreation professionals; it parallels Recreation Aotearoa's combination of membership accreditation, awards (AIM Park Awards), advocacy, and sector events across a similarly structured recreation vertical.
- Aquatics New Zealand: Aquatics New Zealand is the national body governing swimming, water polo, diving, synchronised swimming, and open water in NZ, with overlap in the aquatic sector where Recreation Aotearoa operates PoolSafe, runs Aquatics Awards, and serves the same pool and aquatic professionals.
Broad incumbents
- Sport New Zealand: Sport NZ is the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for the entire play, active recreation, and sport system and a listed Strategic Partner of Recreation Aotearoa; it is a broader incumbent rather than a direct competitor, with overlapping constituency but a government-funded rather than membership-funded model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Recreation Aotearoa social profiles
Digital presenceRecreation Aotearoa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Recreation Aotearoa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Recreation Aotearoa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Recreation Aotearoa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Recreation Aotearoa
What does Recreation Aotearoa do?
Recreation Aotearoa is a membership-based national professional association for the recreation sector in Aotearoa New Zealand, providing individual, subscriber, and organizational memberships alongside a portfolio of programmes including aquatic facility safety certification (PoolSafe), professional accreditation (ARPro), quality assurance (QualityPool), pool testing (PoolTest), benchmarking tools (Yardstick), and the Tuākana-Teina mentorship programme. The organization delivers sector advocacy, industry events and conferences, awards programmes, and professional development resources for professionals across Aquatics, Community, Outdoors, and Parks, Play & Open Spaces sectors.
Is Recreation Aotearoa a public or private company?
Recreation Aotearoa is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Recreation Aotearoa founded?
Recreation Aotearoa was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Recreation Aotearoa based?
Recreation Aotearoa is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Recreation Aotearoa make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Membership subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are poolSafe certification fees.
Who are Recreation Aotearoa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sport and Recreation Alliance (UK), Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA), National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), Water Safety New Zealand, Parks and Leisure Australia (PLA) and Aquatics New Zealand. Sport New Zealand is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Recreation Aotearoa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Recreation Aotearoa.
What industry is Recreation Aotearoa in?
Recreation Aotearoa's product category is Recreation Industry Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKACAD, Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional). Its NAICS code is 71 and its SIC code is 7997.