Sport Integrity Commission launched: child safeguarding and participant safety
Tue 30 Jul 2024
Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui officially launched in July 2024. Learn more about child safeguarding and participant safety. The Commission also accepts complaints.
Sport Integrity Commission launched
Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui is a newly established independent Crown entity. It is tasked with promoting and protecting the safety and well-being of participants and the fairness of competition in the sport and recreation sector. This includes protecting participants from abuse and harm.
The Commission works with organisations at all levels, including national and regional organisations, Māori sport organisations, and local clubs. The Commission also sets standards to make sure there is guidance on making sport and recreation safer. Some of these standards are set out in the Code of Integrity for Sport and Recreation (also known as the Integrity Code).
The Commission has information and resources on their website for child safeguarding – actions that everyone can take to protect children and young people from abuse and harm. This includes protecting them from emotional, physical and sexual abuse, and neglect. Information on the website addresses:
- safe rides and carpooling for children and young people
- checking and training people working with children
- taking and sharing images
- identifying and preventing grooming
- planning safer trips away and safeguarding while travelling.
There are policy templates addressing these areas as well.
The Commission also has information and resources on their website for participant protection - this involves safeguarding participants against any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination. There is information addressing sexual misconduct, harmful behaviour, racism and unlawful discrimination, and retaliation and victimisation.
The Commission provides a free dispute resolution service for complaints about integrity in sport and recreation, including complaints about bullying, sexual misconduct and racism. The service is for everyone in sport and recreation. This includes people playing or volunteering at local clubs and people working or competing at regional, national and international levels. Children and young people as well as adults can use this service. The Commission also provides support and guidance to sport and recreation organisations to handle complaints appropriately.
More information
The Commission was created in response to Aotearoa and international independent reviews that had previously identified bullying, abuse, and other harmful behaviour in sport. The government set up the Sport Integrity Working Group to look at how to best manage integrity and safety in Aotearoa sport and recreation. Based on the Working Group recommendations, the government passed the Integrity Sport and Recreation Act 2023. The Act established the Commission and its responsibilities. See the Commission website for more information. See our related news below for more information about the work to address harm and safety in sport.
Researchers from Canada published the article A Rapid Review on Complaint Mechanisms for Interpersonal Violence: Integrating Research-Based Recommendations from Multiple Sectors to Inform Sport Settings (2024). The authors reviewed published literature about complaint mechanisms for interpersonal violence in a variety of settings. Interpersonal violence included various forms of abuse, neglect, bullying, harassment and other forms of harm for both children and adults. Based on the review, the authors outline 18 recommendations to improve complaint mechanisms for interpersonal violence related to: organisational accountability, awareness and accessibility, adapted process and ongoing evaluation.
For additional research and information see the related news stories below and search our library under sport and family and sexual violence including prevention.
Related media
New body for a fresh start in sport, RNZ, 11.07.2024
Marlborough coach pleads guilty to sexual offending against several girls, RNZ, 18.12.2023
Marlborough sports coach faces 35 sex abuse charges as more added, Stuff, 05.12.2023
Ten more young women complained about guilty sportsman, The Post, 07.08.2023
Sportsman discharged without conviction for sexual offence, Otago Daily Times, 03.08.2023
Olympic gold medallist Alan Thompson loses battle over 'sexualised remarks', Stuff, 31.07.2023
NZ lagging in protections for female athletes, RNZ, 19.07.2023
Sports integrity officials start work on new rulebook for sport, Stuff, 17.07.2023
Image: Joshua Burdick on Unsplash
