Manatū Wāhine Physical Activity and Wellbeing Fund

The Physical Activity and Wellbeing Fund aimed to improve access for women and girls to sport and active recreation activities to support their wider wellbeing and overcome barriers to participation.

The Manatū Wāhine Physical Activity and Wellbeing Fund was launched in May 2023, and initiatives were delivered to thousands of women and girls across the country between August 2023 and February 2024.

Investment for this contestable fund came from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as part of as part of its work in the Puawānanga Leverage and Legacy programme to maximise the impacts and benefits of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.

The fund was originally capped at $500,000, but due to the high number of applications, an additional $500,000 of investment was provided for a total of $1 million.

The fund is one of the 50 nationwide initiatives dedicated to celebrating and empowering women and girls in sport, active recreation, and other activities to support their wellbeing and to create ongoing benefits for our communities. A key criterion of the fund was that initiatives needed to focus on providing support to women and girls who may face barriers to participation or who are not well supported by mainstream programmes.

120 not-for-profit organisations received funding for community-led initiatives that improve women and girls’ access to sport and active recreation activities to support their wider wellbeing. Below are some of their stories and examples of the fund in action.

This opportunity was a one-off fund, and the Ministry does not provide additional sponsorship or financial support.

Email CommunityFund@women.govt.nz if you have any questions about the Manatū Wāhine Physical Activity and Wellbeing Fund.

Impact of the Leverage and Legacy Programme

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment released a report on the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ Puawānanga Leverage and Legacy Programme, outlining the wide-ranging community impacts of the tournament.

The leverage and legacy programme saw more than 50 projects nationwide that championed equality for women and girls, told Aotearoa New Zealand’s stories to the world, and created lasting benefits for our country and communities.

The report also highlighted the social and economic benefits of New Zealand co-hosting the tournament:

• A significant contribution to high performance pathways with the introduction of New Zealand’s first professional women’s football team in 2021, and a second from 2025.
• Increased visibility, understanding and appreciation of women’s sport in New Zealand.
• Unprecedented levels of media coverage for women’s sport, with coverage of women’s sport accounting for 45.5% of all sport news coverage during the tournament period.

Read the full report on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Major Events website.

Physical Activity and Wellbeing Fund in action