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Principles of inclusion We understand the benefits of recreation, but are they available to all New Zealanders? What stands in the way? How can we make recreation inclusive?
Figure 1 Makotuku swimming hole, photo/Lin Ferguson. Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/summer-heaven-dozensloving-swimming-hole-after-makotuku-cleanup/RTW323NA25I3JWMZ4JJAQ7PFQY/
The big picture
Equity of access
Disabled people, older adults, refugees and migrants, Māori and Pasifika, one in nine children, and young people with poor mental health are more likely to be living on a lower income.
It’s important to remember that every person has equal opportunity, access and participation in cultural life, leisure and sport. This right is enshrined in legislation. So why do we continue to see people excluded? We need to think more holistically about the impact of inequalities on wellbeing.
Great recreation experiences are out of reach for many because they lack disposable income and transport. We see this in lower participation rates. In previous Insights Reports, we focused on some low participation groups – identifying barriers and potential solutions. Rangatahi: Many rangatahi experience poor mental wellbeing and benefit from recreation opportunities tailored to their needs. Action: Listen to young people and act on what you hear. People over 65: Low income or lifelong health issues impact on some older adult’s ability to access quality experiences. Action: Design inclusive environments – physical and social! Mental Wellbeing: Many factors impact on peoples’ wellbeing, including inequality. Action: Take a whole person, whole system approach. Invisible Disability: Many New Zealanders experience invisible disabilities. Action: Apply mental models of capability and integration. Equity and Leisure: Complex barriers to participation exist including poverty; addressing these can make a difference. Action: Remove cost as a barrier and address other barriers to participation. Enabling Play: Children raised in urban environments need access to places and spaces for play and the conditions that foster ‘playfulness’ – near to home. Action: Maximise the use of natural features and green spaces.
NZRA Insights Report – Fight, Flight or Freeze in the Red Zone
A different approach An Australian/New Zealand team of researchers1 investigated modes of delivery and the use of everyday patterns.2 They identified the following. •
Moving beyond services to a broader concept of support for wellbeing
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Starting differently to achieve different outcomes
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Challenge indicators to make explicit the underpinning worldviews
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Collective action and ownership -wellbeing as the responsibility of the collective not the individual
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Whanau and relationships as the unit of wellbeing
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Connecting to place and being in place
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Right scale – allowing for work across multiple levels.
There are many benefits of participation, and recent research by Sport New Zealand explored this in more detail. • • • • •
Improves overall health and wellbeing contributes to quality of life fosters a sense of belonging impacts beyond participation Recreation outdoors has many benefits for wellbeing.
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