The New Zealand Sport Collective (NZSC)
A ground-breaking collaboration between more than 30 sports, created and brought together by Rob Waddell (Waddell) and Whakaata Māori
The New Zealand Sport Collective (NZSC) brings National Sporting Organisations and event organisers together to create greater funding, participation, and social impact than any one organisation could achieve alone.
At NZSC, we bring NSOs and event organisers together to pool their broadcast and sponsorship rights into a single, unified programme and point of delivery — increasing visibility, scale, and commercial return through collaboration. Alongside this, we generate meaningful additional funding for low-decile schools, helping remove barriers to participation by supporting coaching, transport, equipment, and other essential costs.
New Zealand's national indigenous media organisation, Whakaata Māori (formerly known as Māori Television), promotes, revitalises and normalises the Māori language by taking a digital-first, audience-led approach in the delivery of educational, entertaining and engaging programming. Whakaata Māori has developed a strategy based on inclusivity. Many of their shows are bilingual, in both Māori and English, the majority are subtitled and there is something for everyone to enjoy. Whakaata Māori showcase free-to-air, online and on demand content in a range of formats across multiple platforms including television, website, social media and mobile phone apps.
About the NZSC & Whakaata Māori Kaupapa
The New Zealand Sport Collective (NZSC) and Whakaata Māori have partnered to showcase rangatahi sport from across Aotearoa and to lead the way in the revitalisation of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. Through this collaboration, more than 30 national secondary school championships (see sports below) are broadcast across Whakaata Māori’s platforms, including free-to-air TV, MĀORI+ and Māori Active YouTube, giving rangitahi sport a national stage and connecting whānau and communities to grassroots events.
The partnership also embeds tikanga and te reo Māori into coverage, helping normalise the language in mainstream sport. Alongside this cultural focus, the model reinvests sponsorship revenue back into schools—particularly low-decile schools—supporting coaching, travel, equipment, and removing barriers to participation.
Together, NZSC and Whakaata Māori are creating more visibility for young athletes, strengthening community connection, and ensuring school sport is accessible, inclusive and culturally grounded. Watch here!
School Programmes
It is our belief that every child in Aotearoa should be able to afford to participate in sport. To date, we have generated $2 million cash provided by sponsors which has been committed directly to decile 1-4 schools throughout New Zealand.
The front-facing portal for NZSC.
The Clubhouse serves as the central hub for all public-facing content. It houses a wide range of media, including still imagery, long- and short-form video reels, and direct links to livestream broadcasts (from Whakaata Māori), providing audiences with a single destination to engage with NZSC stories, events, and coverage.
Partner With Us to Empower Rangatahi
Your support creates real opportunities for secondary school students across Aotearoa. Discover how you can make a meaningful impact.
