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 https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/student-sport-for-all-students-1

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