Playmakers is an initiative developed by Louise McGrath, Sport & Recreation Tutor at NorthTec and Balance is Better enthusiast.

Playmakers showcases the effectiveness of participating in a range of play, active recreation and sports, supported by the Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa funding. The initiative is completely infused with Balance is Better concepts; mainly encouraging variety, working together and skill development for all.

To being with, tamariki and rangatahi were assessed using three tests – a health, injury and dominant movement survey; Functional Movement Screen; and Y Balance Test. These tests were conducted by NorthTec students in NZ Dip. Exercise, Sport and Recreation Level 6 Applied Anatomy (the second year of study working towards their AUT Bachelor of Sport & Recreation).

The sessions were filled with play activities which were non sport-specific. They started off with more team bonding based activities to build rapport amongst the group, and each session progressed to become a little more complex and challenging.

Additionally, participants were sent home with play activities and movements to do in their spare time, which were tailored specifically to their individual needs according to their imbalances shown through the assessments. This provided the opportunity for rangatahi to play fun, non-sport-specific activities, whilst helping to develop their overall ‘physical literacy’ – the ability to move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments.

Applications were open to all students in Kahui Ako 4 community schools. Those who applied were chosen according to their current involvement; Louise knew the programme would have more of a positive impact on those involved in less sports and activities. Those who are involved in many sports and activities are already on the right pathway for developing physical literacy, working towards an all-round, balanced movement development. Those who are involved in fewer sports are likely to be more rigid in their skill base, with their development mostly tailored towards one set of movements (i.e. in only one sport or activity). This may hinder their ability to play a variety of sports and perform different movements and could increase their risk of developing overuse injuries later on.

A second Functional Movement Screen conducted at the conclusion of the programme showed that most participants improved their overall performance scores throughout the ten weeks, proving the effectiveness of practicing various movements and activities to increase physical literacy. The immediate feedback from the rangatahi was motivating too; they are now aware of their movement patterns and how this could impact their body in the future.  They were especially excited to learn how improving their movement literacy could lead them to being future playmakers in their sport.

Andrea Cameron from Tauraroa Area School reflects positively on the programme,

“The students involved in Playmakers have continued to participate in sport, and quite a few are now representing their age groups in their chosen codes.”

“Playmakers put play at the forefront of our Kahui Ako, and we have continued to build on the foundations of Playmakers by implementing MoveWell across all 11 schools in Kahui Ako 4”, explains Andrea.

MoveWell is a resource created to support and extend children’s learning, confidence, ability, and enjoyment in movement. It’s about creating environments which nurture their playful and creative nature, and allowing them to explore, problem solve, and build their movement abilities. Additionally, the NorthTec students now have the opportunity to take their knowledge and positively impact their whānau, friends; a koha for the wider community.