School Principals, members of Secondary School Sports New Zealand (SSNZ) have voted
to exclude all homeschooled students from SSNZ events in 2026, shutting thousands of
young people out of structured, age-grade competitions nationwide.

HESSA (Home Educators Students Sports Association) calls the move “mean-spirited and a
monumental step backward for youth sport.” This exclusion is a punitive action aimed at
punishing homeschool students for HESSA's national advocacy. It will effectively wipe out what
little access homeschoolers had to age-grade structured sport, as SSNZ’s regional partners are
expected to follow the peak body's direction, making exclusion effective nationwide.

“This is a failure of leadership. School principals around NZ have chosen to protect an
outdated system of institutional self-interest at the direct expense of a child's
fundamental right to play sport with their peers. School sport controls how students play
sports such as rugby, netball, and basketball in their free time, outside of school,” said
Peter Gore, spokesperson for HESSA. “This exclusion actively denies homeschooled
students the crucial social and developmental experiences they need, forcing them to
participate in adult competitions, which is risky, both physically, and mentally. It’s time for the
government to guarantee equitable access to sport for all young people, regardless of
where they are educated.”

The move to full exclusion ignores strong public and political support, recommendations from
Sport NZ, and a request from the Minister of Sport. The Children’s Commissioner, Dr Claire
Achmad, previously criticized the barriers facing homeschool students, stating unequivocally:

“These barriers are discriminatory and they simply don’t need to exist.”

For secondary-age homeschool students, the inequality is stark. Sports like rugby, netball,
volleyball, and basketball almost exclusively deliver youth competitions through school
sport-sanctioned pathways. SSNZ’s decision effectively locks the gate.

With HESSA’s petition now before the select committee, the call for Parliament to act is urgent:

“It's time for Parliament to act to guarantee fairness and protect every child’s right to
play developmentally appropriate sport. The focus of secondary-age sport needs to move
away from schools' interests, of prestige and sponsorship, and onto ensuring the needs
of the young players, not the adults who govern them.”

“If our government can ban greyhound racing to protect animals, it's certainly time to
protect all children by guaranteeing them fair access to sport alongside their peers.”

Article added: Thursday 20 November 2025