Sports

Home educated students take part in a wide range of sports. The barriers they face are not about ability or interest — they are about who controls entry to secondary-age competitions. Below is what HESSA knows about the current position in the sports we are most often asked about.

Team sports at secondary age

On entering their secondary-age educational years, home educated domestic students discover there are fewer opportunities to play team sports. This is because provision for these sports largely moves from clubs into the secondary school space, which is especially noticeable in regions with lower population densities.

This is not an issue for primary and intermediate age home educated students, as team sports are largely club-based for that age group.

SSNZ sanctioned events for home educated teams

HESSA will submit exemption requests to SSNZ for home educated teams to compete in SSNZ sanctioned events, but these exemptions may not be granted. The current eligibility criteria state that home educated domestic students are only permitted to compete as members of a composite school sports team.

HESSA strongly encourages home educated teams to request exemptions to compete in SSNZ sanctioned team events, so we can better understand and highlight to national bodies the exclusion that home educated secondary-age students face. Contact us for help with a request.

SSNZ sanctioned events for members of a school team

The current eligibility criteria permit home educated students who are HESSA members to compete in sanctioned events only as a member of a composite school team at the Carnival and Cup levels, where the student has been a member of the team for the season and is not joining solely for the event.

To enter an SSNZ sanctioned event, the school needs to complete an SSNZ composite team application and forward it to HESSA for signature and confirmation that the student is a HESSA member. We advise these are sent to HESSA at least 8 weeks before the sanctioned event.

Things to be aware of:

• It is a privilege, not a right, to be part of a school sports team.
• Composite teams are not eligible to compete for and win Championship events, which can make including home educated students less attractive to schools focused on winning.
• HESSA is advocating for home educated students to be able to form attachments to schools for the purposes of sport, allowing school teams with home educated domestic students to be deemed “host” teams and compete at all SSNZ sanctioned events.

Regional non-sanctioned competitions

Home educated teams are also excluded from many regional inter-school/college team leagues such as volleyball and table tennis, because these are managed by regional secondary-school sports organisations like College Sport Auckland and College Sport Wellington. These organisations, like SSNZ, are set up and led by schools to serve schools. Their approach to home educated students competing is largely informed by the SSNZ eligibility criteria.

HESSA is trying to engage with regional secondary-school sports organisations to support competitive access for home educated domestic student teams.

Cycling

Cycling NZ Schools are supportive of home educated domestic students entering the student competitions they organise. Cycling NZ Schools have clarified how competitors are seeded:

For any seeded cycling events, our seeding is completed following the rules which includes: Defending National Champion; UCI Ranking (U20 only); most recent National Championship placing; most recent National series placing; most recent National Schools Championship placing; all other riders. There is no discrimination against any home school riders in this process.

While the current SSNZ Eligibility Regulations exclude home educated domestic students from receiving medals, Cycling NZ Schools has committed to recognising home educated students alongside their peers if they place in the top 3 of any cycling competition. Cycling NZ Schools organise certificates and brief all organisers ahead of the event to recognise any home school riders alongside their peers, though they rely on organisers understanding this commitment.

If you are at a Cycling NZ Schools competition, please talk to the organisers ahead of any prizegiving to avoid confusion for everyone concerned. It can be a positive experience to ensure home educated domestic students are able to share the podium with their peers, and it allows an opportunity to explain the current situation to everyone at the competition.

Sailing and yachting

Centreboard, dinghy, and keeler club sailing and class nationals are open to all domestic students, and we know of many home educated domestic students who compete and excel in sailing and yachting around the motu.

Regional inter-schools regattas vary in accessibility to home educated domestic students depending on the organisers.

Team sailing

Team sailing is based in schools but run through clubs and team sailing regional associations. Access is currently dependent on schools needing home educated domestic students who are sailors to complete their teams.

NZ Team Sailing has historically been open to the inclusion of home educating sailing teams, but is currently bound by SSNZ eligibility criteria which exclude home educated teams from student sports such as team sailing.

Skateboarding

Skateboarding NZ were the first national body to reach out to express their concern at the exclusion of home educated domestic students from competing in secondary-age student skateboarding and sports events.