Whatever happened to 'recreation'? Changes in New Zealand state leisure policy

Abstract

In this paper we have two concerns: to trace the fate of 'recreation' following the passage of The Sport, Fitness and Leisure Amendment Act 1992, and to locate recent central government initiatives in leisure and recreation within a broader historical context. With respect to the first concern, the evidence we review suggests that the recreational arts continued to receive support in the years following the Act and the accompanying redistribution of responsibilities between the Hillary Commission and the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council (now Creative New Zealand). The situation regarding other, more 'passive', forms of recreation is less encouraging. With respect to the second concern, we demonstrate a continuity between the 1992 legislation and The Physical Welfare and Recreation Act 1937, both of which, in part, saw governments emphasising 'fitness' in order to pursue other policy agendas.