Student sport is not available to every NZ studentNew Zealand homeschooled students are excluded from over 1500 sporting events covering 75 sports. Opportunities available to every other student in NZ.
It's time to end discrimination in student sport and to build a culture of sporting inclusion for all New Zealand students regardless of how they receive their education. |
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The HESSA Petition
HESSA represents all Home Educated Students wishing to access sport. HESSA have been negotiating for 6 years to have homeschooled students included in the NZ student sport environment and have demonstrated to SSNZ how homeschooled students can meet their eligibility to enable full inclusion to compete. However, in recent media Mike Summerell (CEO of School Sport NZ) has confirmed that the rules are not expected to change.
We need a groundswell of public pressure to show that student athletes and their families do not want this rule for their homeschooled peers and neither do the sporting organisations whose hands are tied by hosting events sanctioned by School Sport NZ.
We need a groundswell of public pressure to show that student athletes and their families do not want this rule for their homeschooled peers and neither do the sporting organisations whose hands are tied by hosting events sanctioned by School Sport NZ.
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Journey to ParliamentGeorge Fisher and Amelia Twiss will ride the petition from Cycling NZ in Cambridge to Wellington, arriving at the steps of parliament on July 1.
Together they will ride the whole way following a path they have decided on themselves - traversing backcountry alpine trails, gravel roads and small stretches of highway. Their route planning has been assisted by Jonathan Kennett. |
The Students Riding for Inclusion
Amelia
Amelia is 13 years old and lives in Tauranga. She loves to ride her bike! She likes to ride her bike fast and she really likes to ride her bike a long way. Amelia is an avid follower of ultra-endurance rider Lael Wilcox. In fact George and Amelia first met out on the backroads of Te Kuiti where they both joined Lael on her world-record breaking ride circumnavigating the globe. Inspired by Lael's programme for girls GRIT, Amelia joined the Rebel Ride in 2023 and at 11 years old rode from Hamilton to Taupo over 4 days. Since then she has competed in a number of local and national MTB events and last year completed the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge - riding 160km around Lake Taupo on her MTB. Next in her sights is completing the Tour Aotearoa Brevet as soon as her parents say she's allowed to. |
George
George is 12 and lives just outside of Taupo. George is an avid cyclist and rides ALL the different types of bike races - road cycling, cross-country, enduro, cyclo-cross. If it involves a bike George will be there! George is the current Under 15 National XC Champion. |