Wheelchair sports in New Zealand range from wheelchair basketball and tennis to wheelchair rugby (murderball), racing, and adaptive multisport. Equipment costs are a significant barrier — sport wheelchairs can cost $3,000–$15,000. The funding landscape spans Paralympics NZ, disability sport organisations, and community funders. This guide covers the key sources.
Paralympics NZ is the primary national funder for wheelchair sports in New Zealand:
- National para sport investment through affiliated national bodies
- Paralympic Games pathway
- State and regional development through affiliated organisations
Contact Paralympics NZ and relevant national wheelchair sport bodies for programme access.
Wheelchair Basketball NZ governs the sport:
- National league and representative competitions
- Club development across New Zealand
- Junior wheelchair basketball
Contact Wheelchair Basketball NZ for access to Sport NZ and Paralympics NZ investment.
Tennis NZ governs wheelchair tennis alongside the open game:
- National wheelchair tennis programme
- Pathway for elite athletes
- Community wheelchair tennis development at clubs
NZ Wheelchair Rugby governs the sport (also called murderball or quad rugby):
- National team (Wheel Blacks) pathway
- Club and development competitions
Athletics NZ includes wheelchair racing:
- National athletics programme with wheelchair racing
- RST-level support for club racing
CCS Disability Action is a key disability service organisation:
- Community support for people with physical disability
- Can connect to sport funding pathways
- Regional offices with local community networks
Enabling Good Lives (EGL): Disability support system reform across New Zealand:
- Supports disabled people's participation in community including sport
- Individual funding arrangements can include sport support
ACC: Where disability is acquired through injury:
- ACC supports sport participation for injured New Zealanders through recovery programmes
- Equipment grants for sport as part of rehabilitation
Sport NZ has disability inclusion investment:
- Disability inclusion funded through national bodies
- RSTs have disability participation targets
- Para sport investment through Paralympics NZ
RSTs fund wheelchair sport at the community level:
- Equipment grants for club sport wheelchairs
- Junior and community wheelchair sport programmes
- Venue accessibility improvements for wheelchair sport
RSTs with significant disability sport investment include Aktive Auckland, Sport Waikato, Sport Canterbury, and others in major urban areas.
Gaming trusts fund wheelchair sport clubs and programmes:
- Four Winds Foundation: Open to community disability sport organisations
- Grassroots Trust: Community sport including disability sport
- Pub Charity: Equipment and programme grants
- Lion Foundation: Club sport development
Gaming trust grants typically contribute toward:
- Fleet sport wheelchairs for club loan programmes
- Court and facility accessibility improvements
- Junior wheelchair sport development clinics
Equipment cost is the highest barrier:
- Sport wheelchairs: Some RSTs and charitable trusts fund sport wheelchair libraries
- Enabling Good Lives: Individual funding for sport equipment
- Community trust grants: Specific grants for adaptive equipment in sport
Local councils fund:
- Accessible court surfaces for wheelchair sports
- Changing facilities accessible for wheelchair users
- Pathways and parking at sport venues
Strong applications demonstrate:
- Participant numbers: Athletes by sport discipline, disability type, and age
- Equipment: Sport wheelchair fleet for loans, maintenance, replacement schedule
- Pathway: Club to regional to national and Paralympic development
- EGL/ACC navigation: Support for participants accessing individual funding
- Venue accessibility: Accessible training and competition venues
- Community participation: Social inclusion outcomes beyond elite sport
- Club governance: Financial health, affiliation to national bodies
- Junior wheelchair sport: Young athletes entering the sport
Tahua's grants management platform helps disability sport organisations manage grant applications across Paralympics NZ, RSTs, and gaming trusts, tracking the participation and inclusion outcomes that funders value.