17 October 2025 Sport and Rec Forum brings news and opportunities to industry and students

Networking, wisdom, news and innovation.

It was the 14th year for the Lincoln University annual Sport and Recreation Forum, which invites students and industry professionals to meet and learn from major players in the sector.

This year, key guests were Sport NZ Chief Executive Raelene Castle, who spoke about the challenges and opportunities Sport NZ was preparing to face, and Recreation Aotearoa Chief Executive Sarah Murray, who spoke on how we can reimagine recreation across Christchurch and the country.

The crowd also heard from our own Dr Trudie Walters, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Tourism, Sport & Society. Trudie recently returned from a 3-month research trip to the UK, where she worked with Special Olympics Great Britain to understand the importance of sport programmes for the athletes and their wider communities. Her insight is invaluable, as Christchurch is set to host the Aotearoa New Zealand Special Olympics National Summer Games in December this year.

There was also time for our postgraduate students to share their work with a presentation competition based on the Three Minute Thesis format. Each student had three minutes to showcase their research and try to win over the crowd, who voted for their favourite at the end.

But before all that got underway, staff, students and guests had an hour to mingle and connect, a key part of what makes the Forum great.

Adia Mckay was one of many students who attended on the day and took advantage of having such a wealth of experience to draw upon. She spoke to many different professionals from across the sector and was excited to hear from people with so much experience in her future career.

“My interest is community development, particularly through wellbeing. It was really great to have the chance to talk to Selwyn District Council and some consultancy agencies specifically about community development.”

Adia is three years into a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation and plans to graduate next year.

“I’m not too sure what my plan is, that’s part of the reason why I’m here. I’m making connections.”

The networking session is not just to benefit the students. It’s an opportunity for locals in the industry to connect with each other and meet the new generation of incoming graduates.

Jenn Benden is Director of Xyst, a sports, park and recreation consultancy agency. She’s 15 years into her career so far and has hired seven Lincoln students.

Meeting students and being able to offer them advice was valuable, but it also helped build her network as someone looking to hire new graduates.

“Yesterday I had a meeting with the directors and there were two roles we really needed to fill. I said, ‘well I’m going to Lincoln tomorrow, I’ll talk to a bunch of graduates and find a couple.’

“This is a really good way to meet people, and it’s at the perfect time of year when we’re looking for graduates for the summer.”

She also really appreciated being able to speak and offer advice to international students, as she struggled to navigate New Zealand’s network-heavy professional culture when she immigrated here.

A huge thanks to all our guests and speakers who provided their insight into this active and exciting industry. We look forward to seeing you next year.

Interested in studying sport and recreation at Lincoln? Check out our video with Emma Dermondy, who made used a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Management to launch her career.