Event Sanctioning Process
This page provides information for Event Organisers of school sports events that need to be sanctioned by School Sport New Zealand (SSNZ).
From July 2025 onwards, SSNZ is using a more streamlined method for Event Organisers to apply for school sports events to be sanctioned and added to the national calendar. The process is similar to last year but there are some notable improvements as outlined below.
These steps are explained in detail below. SSNZ is also giving Event Organisers the ability to freely use an event entry method provided by Sporty (optional). Further information is below.
Note: these instructions assume that you have been approved by SSNZ to organise sanctioned events and you have a Sporty login. If not, please follow the directions above and then follow the steps below once you’re done.
There’s a place on the Sporty platform for every Event Organiser in New Zealand. If you already know the address (URL) for your organisation, go there and login by clicking the Admin Login link at the bottom of the page. Instructions for beginners on getting started with Sporty are here.
Click the Dashboard link at the top left of your page, then click the Events Management tile.
This displays the Events Management area. On the left are folders containing existing events (previous or future). A new folder is automatically created whenever you add a new event. On the right is the Event Application form and the Event Report form for each event.
If you wish to add a new event that has many of the same details as an existing event, click the black Copy Event button. Alternatively, to add a new event from scratch, click the green Add Event button. This opens a new copy of the Sanctioned Event Application form.
Complete the form with the details of your event. Note that you can Save the form locally even if some mandatory fields are incomplete. Once you have completed all mandatory fields, Submit the form.
Note that you do not need to upload your Health & Safety Plan or provide a link to your Event Entry page when you initially submit your Sanctioned Event Application form. SSNZ will review your application and can still conditionally approve your event, with the expectation that you will return to your form and complete all missing information by the SSNZ closing date.
Once you have fully completed all of the fields on the form, tick the checkbox to Notify School Sport NZ. This will prompt SSNZ to check any outstanding details on the form and sanction (approve) the event.
School Sport NZ will update the status of your application once it has been reviewed. You can see the status the status of an event from the green Event Application button. You can also filter all your events by their status by using the Status drop-down filter.
SSNZ is also giving Event Organisers the ability to freely use an event entry method provided by Sporty (optional). This form enables schools to register their entry into your event and provide their TIC contact information. Instructions for how to use the event entry method from Sporty will be added shortly.
NOTE: The free event entry method does not include the Sporty competition management system or the ability for schools to perform additional tasks in their own version of the Sporty Teambuilder utility (this additional functionality is available to Event Organisers that subscribe directly to Sporty). Alternatively, if you already have another system to take entries into your school sport events, you don’t need to make any changes.
If you are unsure how to complete the event sanctioning application form, contact School Sport NZ for assistance. If you need technical support using the system, please contact support@sportsground.com and provide your mobile number so one of the team from Sporty can call you.
School Sport New Zealand
PO Box 621, Taranaki Mail Centre
New Plymouth 4310
office@schoolsportnz.org.nz