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New Zealand's sport and recreation agency SPARC is to invest a record $6.3 million in 19 national sport organisations' high performance programmes and projects following the 2010 contestable investment round.

The contestable funding is in addition to the $15 million investment for the nine 'targeted' sports announced in February this year. The targeted sports are athletics, cycling, rowing, swimming, triathlon, yachting, rugby, cricket and netball.

SPARC High Performance General Manager Martin Toomey says the increase in the contestable funding reflects more athletes and teams meeting investment criteria.

Women's hockey and canoeing are among the sports to receive significant boosts in investment.

Improved on-field results and a restructured high performance programme have resulted in a $650,000 investment in the womenâs hockey programme. A huge year looms ahead for the Black Sticks women with the Champions Trophy, World Cup and Commonwealth Games.

Toomey (pictured) says Hockey New Zealand has done the hard work off the pitch as well as on it to justify the faith SPARC is putting in the Black Sticks women, stating "it's good to see the progress Hockey New Zealand has made in putting a quality high performance programme in place around the women's team.

"With $195,000 support from SPARC this year, the Black Sticks women have secured a world class coach, put robust systems in place and have a high performance plan that instils confidence."

Canoe Racing New Zealand gets an increase in investment in its high performance programme which now totals $800,000. Toomey says the increase reflects the growing depth in the sport at the elite level.

Toomey added that "canoe is developing a wider range of world class athletes and crews and has good potential looking ahead to the 2012 Olympics and beyond. Weâll be working closely with Canoe Racing New Zealand to ensure that potential is realised."

In addition to the contestable high performance programme investment, $816,500 is being provided to national sport organisations for 2010 in service credits. Service credits cover the cost of sports medicine, sports science and athlete development services provided through the New Zealand Academy of Sport.

The contestable investment is just one component of New Zealand's overall high performance investment programme of approximately $38 million per annum. Other components of the investment programme are targeted sport investment ($15 million), performance enhancement grants ($5 million), NZ

Academy of Sport athlete and coach support ($6.25 million), Prime Ministerâs sports scholarships ($4.25 million) and technology research, innovation support ($1 million).

Government sports funding agency SPARC says New Zealand's qualification for the 2010 World Cup finals won't lead to any sudden funding windfall.

In the week following the All Whites qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, SPARC pointed out that New Zealand Football had not request funding for the All Whites high performance programme for 2010. The Agency highlighted that SPARC did invest $250,000 in 2009 for the World Cup qualifying campaign and SPARC's $265,000 funding for the Football Ferns women for 2010 as part of a $920,000 four year investment through to 2012.

SPARC also highlighted that New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) did not submit a high performance proposal stating that the NZRL is still in the process of finalising its new strategic plan and that SPARC is in ongoing discussions about future potential investment.

28th July 2009 - NEW ZEALAND’S WORLD CLASS ATHLETES GET FUNDING BOOST

21st July 2009 - NEW CHAIR AND MEMBERS FOR SPARC BOARD

25th February 2009 - SPARC MONIES FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE SUCCESS

26th August 2008 - NEW ZEALAND TO BUILD ON ITS BEIJING OLYMPIC SUCCESS 

19th May 2008 - SPARC APPOINTS NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE

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