Every Wednesday afternoon at Haeata Community Campus, students arrive early for the final block of the day. It has become a time they look forward to, a chance to have fun and connect. Some head straight for the gym, others peel out to the turf, while groups gather around board games and table tennis inside. It is busy and shaped by choice, with students deciding where to be and how to take part.

That weekly block is part of Active As, a Sport New Zealand – Ihi Aotearoa programme delivered in partnership with regional agencies, which supports secondary schools and wharekura to provide positive, inclusive opportunities for active recreation and sport.

Deputy Principal Adam Hird says the shift in engagement was noticeable almost immediately.

“The kids were already there five minutes early on the bleachers,” he says, “they just wanted to be here.”

He says what was previously one of the lowest-engagement times of the week for Year 9 and 10 ākonga has become a consistent part of the timetable.

At Haeata, that shift has been supported by changes in both space and structure, with multiple areas now used simultaneously for different types of activity. These include a purpose-built turf, basketball spaces, swings, a multiball wall, and a flexible gym setup, with a disc golf course also in development.

Staff say the focus is on creating different entry points into movement so students can participate in ways that suit them, whether that is sport, casual activity, or lower-pressure options.

That range has been key to engaging students who previously disengaged from traditional PE.

“We’ve got kids who were really inactive now actually engaging, some of them have even started playing organised sport,” Hird says.

For students, the impact shows up in how Wednesdays feel. One described it as a chance to “spend time with my friends passing a ball around with no stress”, while others pointed to the ability to shift between completely different spaces and activities within the same block.

“I like coming to school on Wednesdays because it is an Active As day,” another student said.

For some ākonga, moving between those spaces has also shaped how they approach other parts of school life, including PE and school sport.

“It has made me be a bit more active, engaging a bit more in PE and other activities,” one student said.

Even for those who do not usually gravitate toward sport, the structure creates a sense of belonging. One student said that while they do not enjoy the more physical activities, board games make the block something they can still enjoy, giving them a chance to stay engaged and connect with friends.

Hird says the consistency of participation is one of the clearest indicators of success.

“Guaranteed, all our Year 9 and 10s are accessing something once a week,” he says.

“You can’t always capture the full impact in data,” he adds. “But you can see when students are moving more, connecting more, and choosing to be part of it.”

 

Sport Canterbury Rangatahi Lead – Sport and Active Recreation, Grace Ward, says embedding Active As at Haeata Community Campus has shifted how students show up and engage.

“Giving students a say in how they move, and then creating spaces that support that, has a big impact on their sense of belonging,” she says.

“At Haeata, they’ve listened to students about where and how they want to be active, and responded to that. Often it’s as simple as asking those who might not usually take part, then backing it up with the right spaces and support. That’s what helps build a genuine connection to being active and a positive relationship with movement over time.”

Article added: Monday 08 June 2026