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Scoop
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
MP Tom Rutherford Calls For Inclusive Student Sport After Homeschooled Athlete Denied Medal
In a powerful show of support for home-schooled students, MP for Tauranga Tom Rutherford has called for greater inclusivity in student sport following a meeting with 13-year-old mountain biker Amelia Twiss and her mother, Toni. Amelia, a talented young athlete, placed second in the North Island Secondary School Mountain Biking Championships. However, she was denied her medal—not because of her performance, but because she is home-schooled. 'This is unfair,' Rutherford wrote in a post shared on his official Instagram account. 'Every young athlete deserves recognition for their achievements, no matter how they receive their education.' Rutherford has since written to Sport and Recreation Minister Mark Mitchell, urging a review of School Sport New Zealand (SSNZ) regulations that currently exclude home-schooled students from full participation and recognition in student sport. 'With more than 10,000 home-schooled students across New Zealand, this affects many young Kiwis. Sport should be inclusive for all our young people. I'm committed to helping make that happen,' he added. HESSA (Home Educators Student Sports Association) welcomes MP Rutherford's advocacy and applauds his commitment to fairness and equity in youth sport. His stance reflects growing public concern over the systemic exclusion of home-schooled domestic students from school-sanctioned competitions—despite these students being legally recognised under the Education and Training Act 2020. 'Sport is a powerful connector. It builds confidence, fosters friendships, and allows students to be part of a wider sporting community,' said Mel Ewart, Chair of HESSA. 'Denying home-schooled students the chance to compete as equals alongside their peers is not just unfair—it's harmful.' Currently, home-schooled students are only permitted to participate in individual student sports, but not to compete officially. In team sports such as futsal, table tennis, and hockey, home-schooled students may only join through composite school teams, which are often excluded from championship events while homeschool-only teams are not allowed. 'These restrictions limit access to sport not just nationally, but also at local and regional levels—cutting students off from the weeknight and weekend sports that many of us take for granted.' said Ewart. 'This isn't just about medals—it's about belonging,' Ewart continued. 'When home-schooled teens are excluded from student sport, they're also excluded from connection, development, and opportunity alongside their friends and peers.' HESSA is calling for a student sport system where every young person—regardless of their education pathway—can play, compete, and thrive. To that end, HESSA will be presenting a parliamentary petition in early July, asking that Sport NZ funding be made conditional on allowing home-schooled students to compete in student sport. 'We're calling on every Kiwi who believes in fairness to stand with us,' said Ewart. 'Sign the petition. Help us end sports exclusion for good.' The petition is available at The Home Educators Student Sports Association is the national body representing the rights of approximately 11,000 home-schooled domestic students to engage and compete in student sport. HESSA's current strategic focus is to ensure equal sporting opportunities for secondary-aged home-schooled students. As of 1 July 2024, there were 3,956 secondary-age home-schooled students, 1.3% of the national secondary-aged student body who are excluded from equitable access to student sport.
Scoop
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
This Isn't Fair—And It's Time To Fix It: HESSA Petition Calls For Inclusive Student Sports
Following widespread media coverage and growing public support, the Home Educators Student Sports Association (HESSA) has launched a petition on ActionStation calling for equal access to student sports for home-schooled students. The petition urges the Government to make Sport NZ's funding to School Sport NZ conditional on allowing home-schooled domestic students to compete. This follows national attention on the exclusion of home-schooled students and HESSA's ongoing advocacy, including front-page features in the Waikato Times and Bay of Plenty Times, as well as coverage on RNZ's Checkpoint and website. 'This issue has struck a chord with people across the country,' says HESSA Chair Mel Ewart. 'There's a growing consensus that the current student sport system is unfair—and it's time for change.' School Sport NZ and its regional partners currently exclude home-schooled students from participating in many local, regional, and national competitions. For example, a home-schooled table tennis team in Auckland has been barred from competing in the College Sport Auckland league. HESSA argues this exclusion is discriminatory and contradicts Sport NZ's own diversity and inclusion strategy. 'This is about fairness and kids being able to compete in sports with their friends and peers,' says Ewart. 'Home-school students are domestic students. They deserve the same opportunities to compete in student sports.. HESSA contends that public funding for student sport should be tied to inclusive practices that reflect the values of fairness and equal opportunities for all Kiwi students. 'School Sport NZ holds the social license to sanction student sport in Aotearoa,' says Ewart. 'With that comes a responsibility to ensure no student is excluded from competing simply because of how they are legally educated.' The petition is now live and open for signatures. HESSA is encouraging all New Zealanders who believe in inclusive sport to sign and share it widely. Sign the Petition on ActionStation
