New commission named after Sir Edmund Hillary

Press, 13 December 1986, Page 3

New commission named after Sir Edmund Hillary

The new sports and recreation commission has been named after Sir Edmund Hillary. The Hillary Commission replaces the Ministry of Recreation and Sport and the Recreation and Sport Council, the bodies responsible for sport and recreation since they were formed in 1973.

Sir Ronald Scott, a Christchurch businessman and sports administrator, will chair the commission which held its first informal meeting in Christchurch yesterday.

The dual roles of the commission were highlighted by the Minister of Recreation and Sport, Mr Moore, when he announced the membership of the commission yesterday. The commission is split into two divisions: Sportscorp will handle

sporting matters and Reccorp, recreation. Netball’s top executive, Mrs Anne Taylor, of Hamilton, will head Sportscorp, and Miss Ann Ballin of Christchurch, the chairman of the Council for Recreation and Sport, will lead Reccorp.

Both divisions were able to make only recommendations to the full commission, said Mr Moore. The other members of the commission are Miss Pat McElvey, Ms Penny Whiting, Mr Robert Tukiri, Mr Don Rowlands, Ms Sue Hosiett, and Ms Sandi Morrison. Also on the commission will be the new secretary of Internal Affairs and an appointment from the Education Department. Ms Morrison, Ms Whiting, Mr Tukiri and the Internal Affairs secretary

will concentrate on recreation matters; Miss McElvey, Mr Rowlands, Ms Hosiett and the Education Department appointee on sports. The new commission will formally start in April. Both Sir Ronald and Mr Moore yesterday promised big things from the commission. Sir Ronald linked the new commission with spending in the Australian states of Tasmania and Western Australia on sports and recreation. Those states had the lowest crime rate in Australia.

Mr Moore said: “In a nation of rampant juvenile crime in which huge numbers of children don’t take part in any sporting activity and more than 30 per cent of the population is clinically obese, the commission has a big job to do.” It also had to work on programmes to end the sterotyping which saw young women quit physical activity at high school age and older people locked out of activities and into their homes.

He denied that the wish to see more women involved in active sport and recreation had anything to do with the six-to-three ratio in favour of women on the commission.

Sir Edmund Hillary’s name was chosen because “no Kiwi has gone higher,” Mr Moore said.

In a taped telephone conversation, Sir Edmund gave the commission members yesterday the task of providing “inspiration” for New Zealanders to become involved.

Although the commission will replace the Ministry of Recreation and Sport, Mr Moore will remain Minister of Recreation and Sport.

The commission will not take over the Sports Foundation.