Read Getting Set for an Active Nation - Sport New Zealand

ensure the intangible benefits from recreation and sport can be fully realised. It is
therefore essential that government plays a greater role to ensure potential public
good can be derived from this sector.
The public good has been defined by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research
as: “Goods or services where one party’s consumption implies no loss of benefit if
consumed by a second party, and non-payers cannot be easily excluded from
consuming the benefits” (NZIER, 1998, p.IV). The Taskforce recognises that definition
and its market-oriented context but finds such a definition lacks clarity. In using the
term “public good” in this report the Taskforce also has in mind the public good as
elements of societal wellbeing that positively influence individuals and sectors of New
Zealand society as the result of physical activity and/or recreational or sport success.
The public good ranges from the personal success of a strenuous cross-country hike to
the money saved on medical costs because of an individual’s positive commitment to
exercise in place of smoking or other habits which have an adverse affect upon health.
The public good may be considered in terms of social and economic factors, which are
separated here only for the purposes of discussion. The public social good includes:
• a healthier society
• social cohesion
• an enhanced sense of identity and image
• crime prevention
A Healthier Society
A healthier society is the foremost benefit of physical activity. “Recognising the
importance of [the relationship between participation in physically active lifestyles and
the physical, psychological and social health of children and adolescents] the New
Zealand Government has recommended that all New Zealanders engage in physical
activity for at least two and a half hours per week” (Ross, 2000, p.99).
Given the proven value of physical activity the Taskforce states unequivocally that a
country’s leaders – with this knowledge – are derelict in their duties if they ignore the
need to fully support a more physically active nation. Further, the evidence of physical
activity having a preventative role in cancers, diabetes, osteoporosis and coronary
disease means that each day New Zealanders are inactive increases potential costs to
the community.
Health
• The evidence for increasing involvement in physical recreation and sport in order to
be healthier is compelling. Positive physical activity will generate better health and
reduce health care costs. In turn, better health leads to a more positive society
with active contributions to its varied sectors. Reductions in health expenditure
provide finance for other government areas or reduce the overall budget
expenditure. As this occurs, the health and physical recreation sector can move to
a more proactive stance on community health.
Ministerial Taskforce on Sport, Fitness & Leisure January 2001 page 37 of 153