Recreation report criticised

Press, 24 December 1985, Page 22

Recreation report criticised

, : The sports and recreation :? reports recently released by the Government pay insufficient attention to the essential elements* of recreation, - according to a submission : prepared . by the ’ ’ national' executive of/the Recreation ' Workers’/Association. ' ' The association said that -the sports report dealt specifically with sport and made little comment on non-competitive recreation. The recreation report failed to address leisure education and the training and support . of recreation workers. ■ “The principles - underlying the establishment of . .any; national co-ordinating • ..bpdyr foif- recreation should / ,•

recognise its broad scope, which includes sport, recreation and art,” the association said. / A spokesman for the association’s northern South Island branch said the ‘; group was concerned that the reports highlighted sport and that recreation took second place. “It may be that most of the money will go into the elitist sporting groups, with the rest of the population missing out,” she said. “It is . important for all New Zealanders to have the opportunity to take part in ? whatever type of recreation they like, be it formal or informal/’

The association was concerned also about the December 31 deadline for submissions. The reports had only recently been re^' leased and many people in related organisations ■ were unavailable to comment during Christmas. . The association ' emphasised the need for equity in the distribution of 'resources and said that education for leisure should be a primary function of any national body. It disagrees with a proposal to split the sport and recreation portfolio.,. “There should be one central body of recreation encompassing recreation/

• sports, and the arts; This is to allow co-ordinated planning, common sharing of ‘resources, and rationalisas tion of funds,” it said. • •p; They structure' could bp /modified to allow the Queen /Elizabeth Arts Council to . oversee the arts section, it /said. ■ ‘ Regional bodies' free of (political bias, should be set -up, with community level links to voluntary organisations, institutions, and locql bodies. > u The role of the national .body should be to develop and foster attitudes, skills, and provision of opportunities to make effective use of ’leisure. '