Volunteer

The beating heart of our sport is the 2,000+ volunteers who set up, pack down, sit on committees, prepare lunches and much much more.

Volunteering not only keeps our sport driving forward, it is a rewarding and energising experience, see below for some of the key volunteering opportunities.

Alternatively, visit our Club Finder and get involved in an Athletics club near you.

Community Volunteer Membership

Community Volunteer Membership is compulsory for centre team managers to national events, and highly recommended for other administrators who have regular interaction with children. Note that coaches and officials have their own, specific membership categories.

To sign up as a Community Volunteer Member, please click here.

We all want tamariki and rangatahi to play and develop in a safe and supportive environment, where they are encouraged to gain maximum enjoyment from what they are doing.

To achieve this goal, volunteers within the sport of athletics have a responsibility to ensure we follow good practice. This three-part guide Is designed to cover the core aspects that you should keep in mind when volunteering. It Is not exhaustive, and depending on your role within the sport, you may wish to undertake further training.

Part One: Practical Guidelines for volunteers working with children

Part Two: Responding to disclosed or suspected child abuse and neglect

Part Three: Areas for specific consideration

Source material and further reading

The Information contained within these documents is in alignment with Sport NZ resources. Further Information, including templates, knowledge sharing, online training, and guidance on policy development can be found on here.

Relevant Athletics NZ regulations and policies

Athletics NZ Member Protection and Anti-Harassment Regulation

Athletics NZ Competition Regulation 4 April 2023Regulations

Athletics NZ Information Privacy Policy

Athletics NZ Code of Conduct (an appendix of the Member Protection document)

A full list of Athletics NZ policies, guidelines and regulations can be found on the governance section of our website.

Athletics NZ Child Protection Officer

Athletics NZ has an appointed Child Protection Officer, who is the person of contact for any concerns related to child safety.
Fiona Maisey
Young Person’s Lead
fiona@athletics.org.nz

021 468 545

Club Volunteering

The first step on the volunteering journey is often at club level. A great way to get involved is to put your hand up to help at the next club event, you are almost guaranteed that your offer will be taken up!

Club volunteering can be as simple as offering to help with one particular task (for example, packing up equipment) whenever you are available. Beyond this the obvious next step is to get involved in the administration of your club, which usually involves sitting on a committee of some sort.

If you have ever thought about how your club could improve its operations, getting involved on a committee is the best way to make that change a reality!

Centre Volunteering

Athletics New Zealand has 11 regional athletics centres that lead the sport in their respective areas, often organising competitions, teams and development of the sport. The main opportunity to volunteer for a centre will be to sit on a board or sub-committee (usually separated into Youth Track and Field, Senior Track and Field, and Winter Distance Running).

The appointment process to these groups varies by region, so reach out to your local centre for more information. You can find their contact information here

National Volunteering

There are opportunities to volunteer directly with Athletics New Zealand. The primary chance to do so is in supporting one of our major championships when they come to your region. We are always looking out for passionate and capable locals to help bring these events to life and will usually call-out for volunteers via the Local Organising Committee.

Athletics New Zealand is led by a volunteer board and is assisted by a number of volunteer advisory groups, and committees. The details for these groups can be found in our About Us section.