Kiwisport

Hillary commission organisation (now known as Sport and Recreation New Zealand) KiwiSport, provides classroom teachers and coaches ways to adapt children’s learning so it is more specific and achievable for young people. KiwiSport offers simple versions of most major sports where the rules and equipment has been modified. KiwiSport teaches Primary/Intermediate school children a wide range of basic skills and motivates them to stay involved in sport in future years.

History

The KiwiSport Programme was instigated by The Hillary Commission in 1988 to encourage participation by young people in Physical activity. KiwiSport is targeted towards New Zealand children aged 7 to 12 years old (Hillary Commission, 1992).

The Hillary Commission believed that it is in New Zealand’s best interest to produce children who are physically fit, highly motivated to participate in physical activity and who are willing to join in team tasks, sports, games and other events. The commission believed that teachers and coaches should have complete and inclusive programmes in the area of sport and physical activity to promote and encourage a lifetime commitment to an active lifestyle (Hillary Commission, 1996).

Children are not mini-adults. Their needs and priorities are different from those of adults. Factors such as stage of growth, social development, level of maturation and previous learning determines the needs of different children; individuals or groups. This is why the Hillary Commission launched kiwiSport as it provides simple, fun games and activities for all levels. The activities are uncomplicated, and do not require great teaching knowledge. The emphasis is on maximum participation with children progressing at their own rate (Hillary Commssion, 1997).

Objectives

The aims of KiwiSport are to:
* Encourage participation in a variety of sports
* Improve the amount, quality, equity and variety of sports activities available to children
* Encourage skill development in a variety of sports
* Promote fair play and good sporting behaviour while discouraging a win-at-all costs attitude among children
* Promote enjoyable and satisfying competition, and
* Establish a sound foundation for activity throughout life and for higher level sport (Hillary Commission, 1992).

Activities that promote these aims should provide:
* Friendship
* Fun
* Achievement
* Identity
* Fairness, and
* Success (Hillary Commission, 1997).

Planning and evaluating

A sequential, co-ordinated, well balanced plan will offer children the maximum opportunities to develop and maintain personal health and physical development. It will help develop movement concepts and motor skills, enhance interactions and relationships with others, and create healthy communities and environments. KiwiSport can play a significant role in this (Hillary Commision, 1996).Teachers and coaches should first determine the needs of the children- find out what they can already do and what they need to develop. They should then plan the unit with set achievement objectives and learning strategies, and plan sessions with goals to reach. Teachers and coaches should organise equipment and space that id appropriate for the level of learning, make sure the children are participating in a safe environment, and ensure all children are catered for and involved (Hillary Commission, 1997).

Assessment is not only carried out by the teacher or coach, but the children as well. Assessment includes looking; listening; thinking; and making decisions. Assessment should be based on the previously established learning goals and it must be appropriate to the task and take in account different learning styles and abilities. Overall assessment must be fair to all involved (Hillary Commission, 1992). (Examples of assessment methods can be found in the book KiwiSport Planning and Evaluation, The Hillary Commission, 1996).

KiwiSport examples

Research has shown that modified sport has helped create a fun, positive and supportive environment for children. Modified versions are most likely to attract and keep young players. A modified sport resembles the sport on which it is based but has been adapted to suit players age, size, ability, skill level and experience. Alterations such as size and weight of equipment; length of game; rules; and rotation of player positions are just some of the aspects of modified sports (Hillary Commission, 1998).

Kiwisport modified sports available:

-Kiwi Golf -Kiwi Netball-Mini-hockey -Kiwi Tri -Kiwi GymFun -Kiwi Squash-Run-jump-throw -Kiwi Ski-Kiwi Tennis -Kiwi Surf-Kiwi Badminton -Kiwi Indoor Bowls-Mini-Soccer -Mini-Ball-Mini Footy -Mini Marching-Kiwi Softball -Kiwi Trampoline-Kiwi Orienteering -Kiwi Cricket-Kiwi Wrestling -Kiwi Rugby-Kiwi Croquet -Kiwi-Volley-Kiwi Table Tennis -Kiwi Judo-Kiwi Touch -Kiwi Cycling(Hillary Commission, 1997).

Further Developments

In the first 10 years of KiwiSport being launched $12 million dollars was invested in KiwiSport, 120,000 teachers and sport leaders were trained in Kiwisport, 29 Sports modified sports were offered, and 95 percent of Primary and Intermediate schools were involved in KiwiSport (Hillary Commission, 1998).

The Hillary Commission also launched another initiative along KiwiSport (in 1990) called Kiwi-DEX for children. Kiwi-DEX encourages schools to programme regular exercise into their school routine. It aims to encourage regular participation in physical activity and improve the amount, quality, equity and variety of physical activities in schools (Hillary Commission, 1992). The same year the Firestone Fairplay Programme was launched by the Hillary Commission to remind all New Zealanders that fair play is the essence of participating in sports (Hillary Commission, 1997). They used campaigns such as “Don’t get ugly’ to promote fair play on and off the sports field.

SPARC has published a new resource Developing Fundamental Movements Skills (published in October 2007) which aims to establish a sound base for sport, so young people can move easily into modified sports and adult sports. It builds on the 1997 KiwiSport Fundamental Skills Manual but provides greater emphasis on progressive development of skills (http://www.sparc.org.nz/education/fundamental-skills).

References

Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure. (1997). "Firestone fairplay manual." Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure.

Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure. (1996). "KiwiSport planning and evaluation. " Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure.

Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure. (1997). "KiwiSport fundamental skills." Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure.

Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure. (1998). "KiwiSport Sport the way kids want it." Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure.

Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure. (1992). "A report on KiwiSport activities in New Zealand schools: September 1992." Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure.

Sport and Recreation New Zealand. "Developing Fundamental Movement Skills". (on-line). Available http://www.sparc.org.nz/education/fundamental-skills, retrieved 21 March 2008.