Basketball is now the second-most popular sport in New Zealand schools (behind football but rapidly closing the gap). Our region is no outlier, with more than 2,000 kids playing in the Manawatū schools competition alone.

However, the development of the sport in our region continues to face challenges, including:

• Limited resourcing for participant development programmes.

• A lack of capacity and capability in the coaching space.

The Central Regional Basketball Foundation (Central Basketball) is a registered charity that was formed earlier this year to address these challenges by working with our region’s basketball associations and other partners to create more basketball opportunities and positive experiences for our tamariki and rangatahi. Through our basketball programmes, we’re also contributing to the promotion of active and healthy lifestyles in our communities.

The key to our success in delivering these programmes for our young people, and growing the game of basketball, is the collaborative relationships we’ve built with our partners.