STRATEGY The Community Sport Fund
The Community Sport Fund offers funding to sports clubs and active-leisure organisations nationwide. It is a highly successful partnership between the Commission and every local authority in New Zealand. Local authorities manage the funds they receive from the Commission to develop local sport and active-leisure organisations and also contribute to the fund. Youth sport activities are the priority for receiving funds from councils, and rural communities receive a top-up fund to ensure that country sports clubs get the extra support they need.

ACTION AND RESULTS in 1997/98
Almost 4,600 clubs received funding in 1998 (an average of $1,395 per club) so they could strengthen their youth sport activities. Over 73% of Community Sport Funds benefited young people.

ISSUE Preserving the Spirit of Sport
Good sport is about being 'good sports'. Sport is a fair contest of talents, and anything that gives one competitor an unfair advantage over another is unacceptable. The challenge for sport is to ensure that young people play sport in the proper sporting spirit. Although not common, there are still too many instances of violence on or around young people's sports fields.

STRATEGY Don't Get Ugly
New Zealand does not accept foul play in sport. In a recent survey 94% of adults said the promotion of fair play was very important - hence the Commission's Fair Play promotion.

The 'Don't Get Ugly' slogan has become a catch phrase in New Zealand sport. Most secondary schools have endorsed the Commission's Fair Play charter and most clubs make the effort to encourage fair play at all levels. In general, young people accept and understand the fair play message. But the key people are their coaches. Coaches set the code of behaviour for a team and individuals.

Hillary Commission television advertisements have been well received by young people and adults in recent years. Young people have got the message, but those who should know better - their parents - are often the people who lose sight of sporting values on the sideline. Changing this is a challenge for sport and the Hillary Commission in 1998/99.

ACTION AND RESULTS in 1997/98
As with previous years, television advertisements targeting young people have been broadcast - largely in the winter sports season. 92% of young people got the message. Nine out of 10 schools have adopted the Hillary Commission's Fair Play charter, which lays down a code of behaviour for all teams, coaches and spectators involved in school sport. The Commission has also been outspoken whenever inappropriate incidents have arisen in sport, and we will continue to do so as long as necessary.