What we do

HESSA provides a national framework — including policies, processes, and systems — to support members to access student sporting opportunities at a local, regional, and national level. One of the key benefits of HESSA membership is that we help ensure students meet the eligibility criteria to access student sport.

Advocating for inclusion

HESSA is raising awareness of the barriers home educated students face with regional and national sporting organisations. We want system change in secondary-age student sport so that all domestic students can compete, and we support our members through the processes that currently exist.

Access to School Sport NZ sanctioned events

For many sports codes, access to secondary-age student sport is largely controlled by schools and school-based organisations. At regional and national level, competitions are sanctioned by School Sport New Zealand (SSNZ) and entry is regulated by the SSNZ Eligibility Criteria.

In 2024 SSNZ agreed to grant HESSA exemptions to compete on a case-by-case basis. In 2024 no individual exemptions to compete were granted for HESSA members. Several host and composite team exemptions were granted, allowing HESSA members to compete in SSNZ Carnival, Cup and Championship tournaments as members of school teams. In 2025 to date, several composite team exemptions have been granted.

HESSA can support home educated domestic students to enter sanctioned events through an inclusion request process. Requests must be received by the 15th of the month to allow HESSA to make an inclusion request to SSNZ, and should be at least 8 weeks before the date of the event applied for.

Regulation 4 of the SSNZ Eligibility Regulations applies to home educated students. In summary:

• Individual sports: Where event organisers wish to do so, home educated students who are members of HESSA may participate in an SSNZ sanctioned event. Home educated students who meet the criteria are eligible to participate in sanctioned Cup and Festival tiered events.
• Team sports: For events below the premier level of an SSNZ sport, and where the event organiser agrees, home educated students who are members of HESSA may be included in a school’s composite team — provided they have been part of the team for the season and are not simply joining for the event. The school principal is responsible for ensuring eligibility regulations and health and safety protocols are met.

If you would like HESSA’s support with an inclusion request, please contact us.

Annual reports

HESSA reports to its members each year on its work and finances.

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. 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.

HESSA submits exemption requests to SSNZ for home educated teams to compete in sanctioned events, but these exemptions may not be granted because the current eligibility criteria permit home educated domestic students to compete only as members of a composite school sports team. HESSA encourages home educated teams to request exemptions so we can better understand and highlight the exclusion these students face.

Read more on our Sports page.

Support HESSA

HESSA is an incorporated society with charitable status. Donations made to HESSA are tax deductible. Membership of HESSA is free, and we rely on volunteers and donations to continue our work.

Any volunteer or financial support you can offer to keep HESSA up and running is gratefully appreciated, and will help HESSA keep advocating for full inclusion of home educated domestic students in student sport.

• Account name: Home Educators Student Sports Association Manatopu
• TSB account: 15-39-43-0025004-00