Every young person deserves equal opportunity to play the sports they choose, at the level they choose.

HESSA — the Home Educators Student Sports Association — is a registered New Zealand charity founded in 2023. We advocate for fair and inclusive access to student sport for home educated students, and we support our members to take part and compete alongside their peers.

The problem

From Year 9 onwards, most regions offer no club teams or competitions for secondary-age students. Sport shifts from clubs into schools, and control moves from regional sports bodies to school-led organisations that sanction most competitions as “school sport” — even when those competitions happen outside school grounds and hours.

There are not enough young people in each sport to run duplicate competitions for the same age group, and doing so would be inefficient. So when school-led bodies take control, home educated students are simply left out.

At primary and adult levels, sport is inclusive and run through clubs. At secondary level, students are excluded or treated unfairly — not because of ability or interest, but because school-led bodies choose who gets to play.

Sport happening outside of school should not be called “school sport.” A student’s legal education shouldn’t be used to deny them equal opportunities in sport that happens outside of the school gate.

What we are working for

HESSA wants system change in secondary-age student sport so that all domestic students can compete. We are raising awareness of these barriers with regional and national sporting organisations, supporting members through eligibility and inclusion processes, and advocating for a competitive pathway that includes home educated students.