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Sports Leaders Fund - India

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The Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono is offering a special round of the Sports Leaders Fund focused on India. This opportunity is aimed at senior sports leaders and decision‑makers and supports travel to India to deepen understanding of the country’s sporting landscape, enhance cultural awareness and establish relationships that will help shape the next 100 years of sporting collaboration between our two countries.

This year, New Zealand and India are celebrating more than 100 years of sporting connections, marking the centenary of a landmark two‑month tour to New Zealand in 1926 by the Indian Army hockey team. 

The Foundation's special India-focussed grant round of the Sports Leaders Fund builds on the momentum developed through these centenary celebrations.

Applications close Wednesday, 3 June 2026 

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Intern experiences the pulse of Singapore sport

On her very first day as an intern at Sport Singapore, Emily Sidaway was thrown straight into the action — assisting with the Singapore Sevens and watching the New Zealand women crowned champions. Over the following three months, she gained hands-on experience across a wide range of sporting activities and initiatives led by Singapore’s national sports agency. Beyond the workplace, Emily also immersed herself in the island nation’s diversity, exploring its people, cultures, food, and environment.

Sports  /  News

Sports delegation highlights opportunity for closer ties with India

In March 2026, New Zealand celebrated 100 years of sporting ties with India. To mark the occasion, Associate Minister for Sport Hon Chris Bishop led a cross-code sports delegation to India. The travelling group of sports leaders met with their counterparts and government representatives to explore opportunities to strengthen ties between the two nations through sport. In this article, NZ Hockey CEO Michelle Hollands reflects on the visit, sharing insights about the people and places they encountered and considering how lessons from India’s approach to sports delivery could inform New Zealand’s own practices. The Foundation's sports programme manager Kirsty Sharp and chief executive Suzannah Jessep were also members of the delegation.

Sports  /  News

Seeking the future of sports and leisure in Singapore

“I went to Singapore for esports, active gaming and new formats. I left studying how a city makes everyday activity inevitable,” writes Sport Waikato’s head of digital innovation, Leanne Bats. Over ten days, Leanne experienced firsthand how sport — particularly esports — and recreation are delivered in the Southeast Asian city state, while meeting with industry leaders and officials shaping the sector. Her visit was supported by a grant from the Foundation’s Sports Leaders Fund.

Sports  /  News

Singapore's approach to active living provides lessons for NZ

With some six million people packed into an area less than half the size of Stewart Island, you might expect places to exercise—or even simply enjoy the outdoors—to be hard to find. In reality, green spaces and exercise areas are woven throughout the city and within easy reach of most residents, writes Sports Hawke’s Bay chief executive Ryan Hambleton. Ryan recently travelled to Singapore to build connections and learn from sports leaders about what has—and hasn’t—worked in keeping the population active. His research was supported by a grant from the Foundation’s Sports Leaders Fund.

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