Active Southland has accessed a one‑off investment from Sport New Zealand to support local sport and recreation organisations impacted by the severe weather event in October 2025. 

Following consultation with the Southland sport and recreation sector, grants have been allocated to Queens Park Golf Club and the Fiordland Community Swimming Pool to provide short‑term financial relief and support interim solutions that help keep people participating. 

Active Southland will continue to work alongside partners and the wider sector to advocate for practical, community‑focused solutions that support participation during recovery periods. 

Following the severe weather event in October 2025, Active Southland took a leadership role in engaging with local sport and recreation organisations to understand the impacts on community participation and identify where short‑term support was most needed. 

Through this process, Active Southland advocated to Sport New Zealand for targeted, time‑limited investment that would support continuity of participation while aligning with council‑led remediation and avoiding duplication of insurance or infrastructure funding. 

Based on agreed criteria and sector consultation, Queens Park Golf Club and the Fiordland Community Swimming Pool were identified as meeting the requirements for this one‑off Sport New Zealand investment. In the case of Fiordland Community Swimming Pool, it is important to note that the facility operates as a standalone organisation and is separate from the Fiordland College site where it is located. 

Active Southland chief executive Vanessa Hughey-Pol said: “While these grants won’t fully cover the loss of expenditure and costs incurred as a result of damage caused during the weather event, we hope they will go some way towards supporting these important facilities.” 

Queens Park Golf Club grant - $24,437.50 

Queens Park Golf Club members were unable to access the course for a significant period during the summer due to the devastation caused by fallen trees across Queens Park. One regional tournament had to be rescheduled and the club was impacted by the loss of weekly green fees, mid-week and weekend events. Additional transport costs were required for members to travel to access other courses. 

Fiordland Community Swimming Pool grant - $4,312.50 

A power outage caused by the storm caused a malfunction at the Fiordland Community Swimming Pool, resulting in the malfunctioning of a chlorine pump, which later had to be recalibrated. 

A number of other sports and recreation organisations and facilities were impacted, but were covered by insurance or other means, including Invercargill Parkrun, Southland Football, Southland Triathlon and Multisport Club, Athletics Southland, Invercargill Hockey, Southland Cricket, Wyndham Pool and Knapdale Pool. 

Active Southland continues to work with the sector to understand any further impacts, including those affecting Disc Golf South. As always, our role remains focused on advocacy, coordination and enabling practical solutions that support Southlanders to stay active, even during recovery and rebuilding phases. 

Article added: Monday 23 March 2026