NZ NEWS
News and views from the New Zealand fitness industry .
2021 – A year from hell , or a year to excel ?
Recently we hosted ExerciseNZ ’ s annual EXNZ Awards , in which we recognised those that have excelled in 2021 - both individuals and facilities - across the range of roles and communities we serve .
In preparing for these awards , I was reminded that , for some , 2021 was their time to shine . For many others , however , 2021 was about survival - especially for those in Auckland during the latest lockdown , which ranks as the seventh longest globally ( not an award anyone wants to win - and just for the record , it goes to Melbourne ).
While 2021 was certainly challenging , we do end somewhat on a high , with New Zealand having just moved into its next phase of COVID-19 response , with a new traffic light system that , with the notable exception of the addition of CVCs ( Compulsory Vaccination Certificates ), our industry has almost no restrictions / extra rules at orange , and relatively minimal restrictions at red . Perhaps most importantly , we can be open at all levels , and long lockdowns are likely to be far less common . We did the hard work with the government and multiple government agencies , showing them that with the right protocols in place exercise can be safe , and the end result of this is a new system that is more permissive , with fewer restrictions than other comparable industries .
With this noted , one thing we have all learnt over the past two years is that making any assumptions about the future is a risky game - so while we ’ ll take the wins where we can , the collective view seems to be ‘ make hay while the sun shines ’ as it ’ s impossible to be certain about what 2022 may deliver .
We also enter 2022 with a huge opportunity . Research shows us that lockdowns hit participation rates of physical activity hard , but they do rebound , if not necessarily back to the same activities . So , here lies a huge opportunity for our industry to be the provider of the safe , consistently delivered product / service that meets the needs of the market . There will be winners and losers in this space for sure , but the opportunity is there . Moreover , the awareness of the benefits of exercise is at an all-time high - our own
consumer research shows that mental health has moved from 9 % awareness in 2019 to 63 % in 2021 , and as a ‘ reason to exercise ’ now ranks # 1 ( with ‘ health ’ as # 2 ). This is a massive change from only five years ago , when various iterations of weight loss / body transformation consistently filled the top five .
So , as we leave 2021 behind ( and good riddance I ’ m sure many would say ), we are about to enter a time in which many of us will , hopefully , spend time with family / whanau . This is a reminder of the power of human connection , as well as our individual and collective need for it . As an industry , we feed off human connection ( which may well be why so many struggled with ‘ going virtual ’), but we also provide it to our clients and members . Never underestimate the power that a genuine smile or , better still , a few words of encouragement , support and acknowledgement can play in the lives of those that choose to exercise with us . We can be a massive part of the solution in the new way of operating – delivering on all the mental , physical and social benefits of exercise . It ’ s our time to shine .
Kia kaha Aotearoa !
Richard Beddie CEO , ExerciseNZ info @ exercisenz . org . nz
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