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Top sports and physical activities

Sport and active leisure not only offer New Zealanders an enjoyable and challenging way to spend their leisure time, they also contribute to their well-being and to the New Zealand economy.

In the New Zealand Sport and Physical Activity Surveys, more than 5,000 New Zealanders were asked about the sports and physical activities they had done in the last year.

Top five sports played by young people (5-17 years old)

1. Sports
2. Active Leisure
Boys Rugby union (24%) Swimming (27%)
  Soccer (23%) Cycling (20%)
  Cricket (19%) Exercising (18%)
  Basketball (11%) Outdoor games (16%)
  Touch rugby (9%) Running/jogging (15%)
Girls Netball (18%) Swimming (32%)
  Soccer (12%) Exercising (25%)
  Athletics (10%) Outdoor games (19%)
  Basketball (8%) Cycling (17%)
  Tennis (7%) Walking (17%)

Note: The percentages are based on young people who are participants; for example, 23% of boys who are club members play soccer, the figure for all boys is around 6%. Similarly 25% of boys who take part in sport and active leisure with family or friends go swimming, the figure for all boys is around 16%.

Top 15 sports for New Zealand adults

Men
Women
1. Golf (28%) 363,300 1. Netball (10%) 141,000
2. Tennis (14%) 182,200 2. Golf (10%) 136,700
3. Touch rugby (14%) 178,700 3. Tennis (10%) 135,300
4. Cricket (13%) 175,700 4. Equestrian (6%) 86,900
5. Rugby union (11%) 140,900 5. Touch rugby (6%) 81,400
6. Shooting (11%) 137,700 6. Skiing (5%) 71,100
7. Motor sports (10%) 132,000 7. Basketball (4%) 61,900
8. Soccer (8%) 106,600 8. Bowls - indoor (4%) 57,300
9. Basketball (8%) 104,900 9. Badminton (4%) 54,800
10. Yachting/sailing (7%) 96,300 10. Yachting/sailing (4%) 53,200
11. Skiing (7%) 91,900 11. Volleyball (3%) 48,700
12. Squash (7%) 88,400 12. Cricket (3%) 48,000
13. Bowls - lawn (5%) 67,400 13. Squash (3%) 42,100
14. Volleyball (5%) 66,800 14. Bowls - lawn (3%) 38,300
15. Cricket - indoors (5%) 64,700 15. Soccer (3%) 36,100

Note: The figures are for participation in the last 12 months and show the percentage and number of people taking part in each sport. The percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number and the number of participants in each sport are rounded to the nearest 100 and are calculated using the percentages before rounding. Motor sports includes motor cycling, trail biking and motor racing.

Top 15 sports for New Zealand adults of different ages

18-24 years
25-34 years
35-49 years
50+ years
1. Touch rugby (28%) 1. Golf (21%) 1. Golf (18%) 1. Golf (15%)
2. Golf (23%) 2. Touch football (17%) 2. Tennis (14%) 2. Bowls - lawn (9%)
3. Basketball (23%) 3. Tennis (15%) 3. Cricket (9%) 3. Bowls -indoor (7%)
4. Tennis (23%) 4. Netball (13%) 4. Skiing (7%) 4. Tennis (4%)
5. Cricket (21%) 5. Cricket (12%) 5. Yachting or sailing (7%) 5. Yachting or sailing (4%)
6. Netball (19%) 6. Motor sports (9%) 6. Touch football (7%) 6. Motor sports (2%)
7. Rugby union (16%) 7. Rugby union (9%) 7. Horse riding (6%) 7. Shooting (2%)
8. Skiing (16%) 8. Squash (9%) 8. Motor sports (6%) 8. Cricket (2%)
9. Volleyball (14%) 9. Skiing (8%) 9. Netball (6%) 9. Skiing (2%)
10. Badminton (13%) 10. Basketball (8%) 10. Shooting (5%) 10. Horse riding (2%)
11. Soccer (12%) 11. Shooting (7%) 11. Basketball (5%) 11. Badminton (1%)
12. Rugby league (10%) 12. Soccer (7%) 12. Squash (5%) 12. Rugby union (1%)
13. Motor sports (10%) 13. Yachting or sailing (6%) 13. Rugby union (5%) 13. Netball (1%)
14. Horse riding (9%) 14. Volleyball (6%) 14. Bowls - indoor (4%) 14. Rowing (1%)
15. Squash (9%) 15. Horse riding (6%) 15. Volleyball (4%) 15. Soccer (1%)

Note: The figures are for participation in the last 12 months and show the percentage of people taking part in each sport.

Top 15 sports for New Zealand adults by different ethnic groups

Maori
European New Zealander
Other cultures
1. Touch football (25%) 1. Golf (19%) 1. Golf (13%)
2. Netball (20%) 2. Tennis (12%) 2. Volleyball (13%)
3. Golf (14%) 3. Cricket (9%) 3. Cricket (13%)
4. Rugby (13%) 4. Skiing (8%) 4. Tennis (12%)
5. Basketball (12%) 5. Touch (8%) 5. Badminton (12%)
6. Tennis (11%) 6. Motor sports (7%) 6. Touch football (11%)
7. Rugby league (9%) 7. Yachting or sailing (7%) 7. Basketball (10%)
8. Cricket (9%) 8. Netball (6%) 8. Rugby union (9%)
9. Softball (6%) 9. Shooting (5%) 9. Soccer (7%)
10. Motor sports (5%) 10. Horse riding (5%) 10. Netball (7%)
11. Squash (5%) 11. Bowls - lawn (5%) 11. Rugby league (7%)
12. Horse riding (5%) 12. Bowls - indoor (5%) 12. Horse riding (4%)
13. Shooting (5%) 13. Basketball (5%) 13. Cricket - indoor (4%)
14. Soccer (5%) 14. Squash (5%) 14. Bowls - indoor (3%)
15. Volleyball (5%) 15. Rugby union (5%) 15. Skiing (3%)

Note: The figures are for participation in the last 12 months and show the percentage of people taking part in each sport.

Top 10 physical activities for New Zealand adults

Men
Women
1. Walking (59%) 746,200 1. Walking (80%) 1,092,300
2. Gardening (53%) 675,200 2. Gardening (69%) 941,500
3. Fishing (37%) 464,500 3. Swimming (39%) 527,100
4. Swimming (34%) 429,000 4. Exercising at home (34%) 466,000
5. Exercising at home (24%) 300,800 5. Exercise classes or gym (19%) 258,100
6. Exercise classes or gym (19%) 234,800 6. Aerobics (17%) 236,400
7. Cycling (16%) 198,000 7. Fishing (15%) 198,400
8. Running or jogging (16%) 198,000 8. Cycling (13%) 179,300
9. Tramping (12%) 154,800 9. Running or jogging (10%) 131,800
10. Mountain biking (10%) 128,200 10. Tramping (9%) 123,600

Note: The figures are for participation in the last 12 months and show the percentage and number of people taking part in each activity. The percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number and the number of participants in each activity are rounded to the nearest 100 and are calculated using the percentages before rounding. The figures for walking are for all walks for exercise and enjoyment which lasted for 10 minutes or more. 35% of men and 50% of women went for short walks (10-30 minutes), while 34% of men and 50% of women went for long walks (over 30 minutes). Some people go for short and long walks and so the figures for these two categories sum to more than the total for walking.

18-24 years
25-34 years
35-49 years
50+ years
1. Walking (58%) 1. Walking (68%) 1. Walking (74%) 1. Gardening (76%)
2. Swimming (52%) 2. Gardening (54%) 2. Gardening (67%) 2. Walking (73%)
3. Exercise classes or gym (43%) 3. Swimming (46%) 3. Swimming (41%) 3. Exercising at home (23%)
4. Exercising at home (33%) 4. Exercising at home (34%) 4. Exercising at home (31%) 4. Swimming (20%)
5. Fishing (27%) 5. Fishing (30%) 5. Fishing (30%) 5. Fishing (18%)
6. Gardening (26%) 6. Exercise classes or gym (25%) 6. Cycling (17%) 6. Exercise classes or gym (7%)
7. Running or jogging (26%) 7. Cycling (19%) 7. Exercise classes or gym (17%) 7. Tramping (7%)
8. Cycling (26%) 8. Running or jogging (18%) 8. Running or jogging (13%) 8. Cycling (4%)
9. Aerobics (24%) 9. Aerobics (16%) 9. Tramping (13%) 9. Aquarobics (4%)
10. Surfing or body boarding (18%) 10. Mountain biking (12%) 10. Aerobics (11%) 10. Running or jogging (3%)

Note: The figures are for participation in the last 12 months and show the percentage of people taking part in each activity.

Maori
European New Zealander
Other cultures
1. Walking (62%) 1. Walking (72%) 1. Walking (68%)
2. Gardening (50%) 2. Gardening (65%) 2. Gardening (48%)
3. Swimming (38%) 3. Swimming (36%) 3. Swimming (36%)
4. Exercising at home (33%) 4. Exercising at home (29%) 4. Exercising at home (28%)
5. Fishing (32%) 5. Fishing (25%) 5. Exercise classes/gym (22%)
6. Exercise classes/gym (24%) 6. Exercise classes/gym (18%) 6. Fishing (22%)
7. Aerobics (18%) 7. Cycling (15%) 7. Running/jogging (9%)
8. Cycling (18%) 8. Running/jogging (13%) 8. Cycling (9%)
9. Running/jogging (13%) 9. Tramping (12%) 9. Aerobics (8%)
10. Tramping (8%) 10. Aerobics (10%) 10. Aquarobics (4%)

Note: The figures are for participation in the last 12 months and show the percentage of people taking part in each activity.

Annual and four-week participation rates

For annual and four-week participation rates for all the sports and activities covered by the survey:

Updated | 16 Oct 2007.

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