School Sport and Recreation Information

School Sport and Recreation
Information
Effective from 1 January 2022
Last updated 18 February 2022

Sport NZ has developed advice and guidance about the operation of Play, Active Recreation
and Sport under the settings of the COVID-19 Protection Framework (CPF). Other sector
organisations have similarly developed their own advice, particularly the Ministry of Education’s
advice for schools and kura.

This advice will be updated regularly as new government requirements are established. Please
ensure the most up-to-date version is referred to before planning an activity. This is
particularly important with the emergence of the Omicron variant in New Zealand.

 This Sport NZ guidance covers any non-curriculum or extra-curricular sport, recreation and
 play activities. Any sport and recreation which is not curriculum-related can follow the rules
 for Events and Gatherings in the CPF.

 If you are trying to understand how the CPF applies to curriculum activity (including any
 curriculum-related sport and recreation) you should follow the Ministry of Education’s guidance
 COVID-19 Protection Framework resources for schools and kura – Education in New Zealand

The CPF allows participation in Play, Active Recreation and Sport whether participants are
vaccinated or not, but some restrictions apply where vaccination passes are not required, and
where risk is higher (particularly under the Red setting). This is to allow as much sport and
recreation to occur as it is safely possible to do so. Sport NZ’s guidance reflects this intention
by recognising the great benefits sport and recreation have both physically and mentally for
tamariki and rangatahi. This guidance is intended to facilitate physical activity to occur in a
safe manner.

Most non-curriculum sport and recreation activities are classified as a Gathering in the CPF.
Gathering examples in your setting include sport that takes place outside of school hours; a
netball training after school or a First XV fixture between two schools on a Saturday. The
Ministry of Education recommends that non-essential activities that are not curriculum-related
should not go ahead in school hours at Red.

For specific guidance about sporting and recreation Events (including how to work out if your
activity meets the criteria of an Event under the CPF), see Sport NZ’s specific guidance or the
Ministry of Education’s flowchart for Events and activities at Orange and Red. Event examples
in your setting may include School Sport NZ Tournament Week events, a multi-school athletics
competition at a Council venue or a regional kapa haka competition.

The delivery of Sport, Active Recreation and Play opportunities typically involves multiple
agencies with different expectations and policies about the application of the CPF – these
include event organisers, venue and facility owners/operators (including schools/kura) and
sport and recreation organisations. These expectations, and roles and responsibilities, should
be negotiated between the parties and represented in a Health and Safety Plan or similar
agreement (Health and Safety Guidance for School Sport).

Additional Information

These guidelines should be read in conjunction with advice from Sport NZ and the Ministry of
Education about the application of the CPF. If you have any questions or need an area clarified,
please email us at covid19response@sportnz.org.nz.

   •   COVID-19 Protection Framework – Sport NZ
       COVID-19 CPF One Pager | Sport New Zealand - Ihi Aotearoa

   •   CPF Detail
       COVID-19 Protection Framework Overview | Sport New Zealand - Ihi Aotearoa
       (sportnz.org.nz)

   •   Frequently Asked Questions
       COVID-19 CPF FAQs | Sport New Zealand - Ihi Aotearoa

   •   COVID-19 Protection Framework – Ministry of Education
       Covid-19-protection-framework-advice-for-schools-and-kura/

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is school sport and recreation subject to the requirements set by the Ministry
of Education, or the requirements set by Sport NZ?
The Ministry of Education advice applies to curriculum-related activity; Sport NZ’s
advice applies to the provision of Play, Active Recreation and Sport outside the
curriculum. Whether activities are regarded as a part of the curriculum is a decision for
individual schools. When activities are non-curriculum related the broader
requirements for Gatherings and Events as identified in the Sport NZ advice are
relevant (eg after-school badminton practice).

Can I run intra-school sport and recreation activities, including lunchtime
trainings?
Each school will have a policy or approach to providing physical activity opportunities
during the school day under different CPF settings, and you should ensure you align
with these requirements - make sure you check with your senior management before
planning an activity.

Subject to these school requirements, intra-school sport and recreation activities
(such as House competitions or whole-school athletics sports) held on school sites are
permitted – these are regarded as curriculum-related activities and are not subject to
the restrictions of the CPF. Support workers, such as teaching staff, coaches or
officials can be included providing they are fully vaccinated and comply with other
school requirements (such as wearing masks). There can be no spectators, or anyone
else not directly supporting teams, present.

Where an intra-school activity is held off-site it will be subject to the Events and
Gathering requirements of the CPF, including venue and provider expectations about
the use of MVPs, and restrictions on numbers.

Trainings are regarded as non-curriculum related activities in school time and are
subject to the provisions of the CPF.

Can our school participate in inter-school sport activities?
At all settings of the CPF it is important that you work with your school management to
discuss their approach to minimising risk as this will vary between schools. Also regular
engagement with facility operators and event providers will be necessary to ensure the
least possible risk to your students If they are to participate outside the school gates.

Where an inter-school sport and recreation activity (such as competitions or festivals
with other schools or clubs) is to be held on a school site during school hours it is
regarded as a curriculum-related activity and is permitted to proceed without being
subject to the provisions of the CPF. Support workers, such as teaching staff, coaches
or officials can be included providing they are fully vaccinated and comply with other
school requirements (such as wearing masks). There can be no spectators, or anyone
else not directly supporting teams, present.

Where inter-school activities are held offsite, or outside school hours, they will be
subject to the provisions of the CPF.

Do students have to be vaccinated to participate in school sport?
Schools are prohibited from requiring students to be vaccinated for curriculum
activities, but they may be required to be vaccinated by event managers/facility
operators as participants in sport and recreation activities that sit outside the
curriculum.

Most inter-school competition, including all national secondary school competitions
sanctioned by School Sport NZ, will only be held with a vaccination pass requirement.
This is a logistical decision because of the number of participants involved.

You should contact your school or your Regional Sports Director (for secondary school
sport activity) to determine if your local inter-school events will be subject to a
vaccination requirement.

EOTC providers can offer curriculum-related activities to schools without requiring all
children to be vaccinated. EOTC providers will need to meet a number of conditions,
including
    • Working with a registered school to deliver curriculum-related activities
    • Providing the service in a defined space (e.g. sole-use of part, or all, of a
        setting/venue of the service) and
    • Staff delivering the service must be vaccinated and teachers or parent
        volunteers can be asked to present their My Vaccine Passes to meet this
        requirement.

Please refer to the Ministry of Education’s advice regarding curriculum-related
activities held offsite as EOTC here, and the advice from Education Outdoors NZ (EONZ)
here.

Won’t unvaccinated students be unfairly excluded from sport and recreation?
Sport and Recreation organisations, including schools, can deliver activities without
requiring immunisations or they can require My Vaccine Passes which will allow them to
deliver their services with fewer restrictions. Curriculum-related sport and recreation
is available to all students, irrespective of their vaccination status.

For guidance for Education Outside The Classroom refer to the Ministry of Education’s
advice. This only applies to curriculum-related activities.

Will spectators be expected to be vaccinated?
Where parents are spectating at a curriculum-related activity, are permitted at attend
that activity, and have no other role in the delivery of that activity (such as coaching or
supervising) they are not required to be vaccinated.

While there are no capacity limits for curriculum-related activities, schools need to
restrict non-essential visitors on site, and the Ministry of Education recommends large
activities be avoided under CPF Red and Orange settings.

Where a facility operator or event organiser requires participants to be vaccinated,
then all attendees, including coaches and managers, need to be vaccinated. Attendees
like spectators and participants will also count towards any facility capacity limits
under the CPF, however workers do not. See Sport NZ’s FAQs for a definition of ‘worker’.

Event organisers can require spectators to have a My Vaccine Pass but will need to
manage those spectators in the same way they might manage any crowds at their
event. Alternatively, event organisers could allow non-vaccinated spectators at
outdoor events, but they would be subject to the capacity limits of the CPF
unvaccinated settings, would need to be distanced from all other groups by at least 2m,
and not intermingle for the duration of the event. It is likely that this would not be
possible at indoor venues, as each group of the capacity limits need to be separated by
walls and have separate airflow. More information about capacity limits, defined spaces
and shared facilities is available on Sport NZ’s FAQs.

More information about managing spectators is included in Sport NZ’s guidance about
Events.

How do we manage an activity that requires participants to be vaccinated but
includes participants that are aged less than 12?
Children under 12 years and 3 months are treated as if they are vaccinated and are
included in gathering and event numbers. This includes children aged 5 to 11 years old
who are vaccinated or unvaccinated.

Are 5-11 year olds required to show a My Vaccine Pass?
Children aged 5-11 years old can now be vaccinated against COVID-19. They receive a
children’s dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which is a lower dose provided at a smaller volume
than the adult vaccine.

While vaccination among this age group is encouraged, 5-11 year olds are not required
to show or have My Vaccine Passes. They are still counted toward the capacity limit of
an event or gathering, but do not contribute to the vaccination status of an event or
gathering. This means unvaccinated 5-11 year olds at a My Vaccine Pass event or
gathering do not make that event or gathering non-My Vaccine Pass.

If you need more information about the COVID-19 vaccine for children, see the Ministry
of Health’s website.

Do Secondary School students need to be vaccinated to work (e.g.
coaching/officiating) with primary school students - in and out of school
hours?
Whether an individual needs to be vaccinated to work depends on what activity they are
undertaking. If an activity is curriculum related – the education vaccine mandate will
apply and all those coming into contact with children and young people must be

vaccinated. If the activity is not curriculum related – the broader advice for events and
gatherings will apply which may or may not require the individual to be vaccinated.

The Education vaccine mandate applies to everyone over the age of 12 who is carrying
out work (including as a volunteer or unpaid worker) providing curriculum-related
activities when students are present and/or who may have contact with children or
students. This covers parent and student volunteers even if that activity is a leadership
development opportunity as part of Physical Education.

Can we mix activity that includes both vaccinated and unvaccinated groups as
long as they maintain appropriate distancing? For example a touch module on
a field without vaccination requirement, and a netball competition on an
adjacent court with a vaccination requirement?
Unvaccinated and vaccinated gatherings can occur simultaneously only outdoors, not
indoors. The defined spaces need to be maintained at all times i.e. 2 metres between
courts and groups, and if sharing bathroom facilities there can be no intermingling.
Masks must be worn in common areas i.e. when going to bathroom or using changing
facilities.

If a sport and recreation organisation is hiring school facilities outside school
hours, including gyms, fields or other facilities, do the participants and
organisers need to be vaccinated?
The requirements for participants or organisations that access school facilities for
non-curriculum-related activity (including sport and recreation both in and out of
school hours) will be determined by each school, just as they would be for any other
facility/venue operator. For non-curriculum-related activity the Gathering or Event
requirements for sport and recreation will apply. You should clarify the school’s policy
with them before making arrangements to run an activity on school facilities.

If there is a council facility on school grounds (artificial turf etc), does the MoE
mandate take priority?
The education vaccine mandate only applies to curriculum-related activities – the sport
and recreation guidance about Events and Gatherings, and Public Facilities, is relevant
here.

Do our school weights and dance facilities have to follow the same
restrictions as “gyms” in the CPF?
No. Gyms are defined in the CPF as indoor exercise facilities for which access is limited
to members – this is typically not the case with school facilities. Follow the rules for
Gatherings.

Can students train/compete with others from a different CPF setting? Can
we travel between areas with different settings?
Yes, the settings at the venue or event will apply, not the settings that are in place in the
region the participants come from. This is different from the Alert Levels, where

participants “took their Alert Level setting with them”. Note that if you’re sick, stay at
home. Travel is prohibited if there are regional boundaries.

Do parents/volunteers driving the school van, or providing car-pooling
transport, need to be vaccinated?
Yes where the parents are performing a function for the school and likely to be in
contact with children and young people. No for private transport.

How do we manage billeting? Will those receiving, and those taking, a billet be
required to be vaccinated?
Schools will set their own requirements for those that are taking, and those that are
receiving, billets. You should check with them.

Will principals be able to sign off on immunisation status or will
participants/supporters need to use My Vaccine Passes at venues? What will
be the verification process that all those required to be vaccinated, in fact,
are?
Schools are not required to collect the immunisation status of students for curriculum-
related activities but may collect this for those involved in non-curriculum related
activities such as sport and recreation.

Principals or their delegates typically sign off any school team involved in inter-school
sport and recreation activities and could provide this verification through the normal
team entry process. If you do ask about vaccination status, you must take reasonable
steps to ensure the information is collected lawfully, including students being aware of
how this information will be used and why it is being collected.

Personal information about an individual’s vaccine status must be protected and cannot
be shared without the student’s consent.

All practical steps should be taken to verify the immunisation status of participants
where this is required, and these steps should be determined through consultation with
event providers and facility operators.

Who can access immunisation status data on school systems i.e what are the
rules around privacy? Do event organisers need to separately verify the
immunisation status of those that are attending their event, even if it has
already been captured by a school?
The Privacy Act means schools cannot share individual information unless permission
has been given to do so. Event and facility operators will need to determine who is
responsible for verifying My Vaccine Passes through a Health & Safety Plan where an
activity is not simply intra-school.

If you do ask about vaccination status, you must take reasonable steps to ensure the
information is collected lawfully, including students being aware of how this
information will be used and why it is being collected.

Personal information about an individual’s vaccine status must be protected and cannot
be shared without the student’s consent.

Can anyone use the My Vaccine Pass scanning app, eg. school volunteers?
Yes. Information on the Verifier App is available here and it is available from the
AppStore and Google Play.

When using the My Vaccine Pass scanning app, where does the data sit – on a
person’s phone?
No information is retained on the verifier app or a phone used to scan My Vaccine
Passes. The verification displays Name and Date of Birth but these are only used if you
choose to verify the person providing the My Vaccine Pass if that is required (with a
photo ID for example) – this information is not retained.

Will the My Vaccine Pass scanning app work without a wifi/data connection?
Yes – you don’t need internet to scan, just to download the app. You should connect to
the internet regularly while using it if you can.

Can event organisers choose to accept a recent negative COVID-19 test in lieu
of My Vaccine Passes? What about medical exemptions?
No. Accepting a negative RAT test is also not an option. Medical exemptions are
relatively uncommon and are Issued by the Ministry of Health. Those with medical
exemptions will be Issued with a My Vaccine Pass - their status will not be Identified as
different than those who are vaccinated.

What do I do if one of my sport and recreation participants returns a positive
test, or Is connected to someone who does?
The Ministry of Education has a comprehensive process for managing Covid-19 cases
that Involve school students and staff. You should follow their advice here. More advice
about becoming a location of interest can also be found in our FAQs here, and the Unite
Against Covid-19 guidance, and clarification of positive cases, Casual and Secondary
contacts and the process associated with them is here.