Massey staff and students contribute to new book about Sport in Aotearoa New Zealand

Sport in Aotearoa New Zealand investigates sporting traditions, successes, systems, terrains and contemporary issues that underpin sport in New Zealand. The new book which was edited by Dr Damion Sturm from Massey’s School of Management and Roslyn Kerr from Lincoln University, has recently been published by Routledge.

Exploring traditional sports such as rugby and cricket, indigenous Māori sport, outdoor recreation and contemporary lifestyle and adventure sports like marching and parkour, the book examines the contested and conflicting societal, geographical and managerial issues facing contemporary sport in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Dr Sturm says bringing the book together took approximately 18 months, with a few COVID-19 related delays along the way.

“Overall, co-editing the book was an enjoyable and rewarding experience, and it’s great to have a critical and contemporary, as well as Aotearoa New Zealand-specific, sport collection out there with a global publisher like Routledge., We were particularly pleased to have buy-in from the majority of New Zealand universities,and beyond, while having a spectrum of postgraduate students to professors amongst the 32 contributors.”

Alongside editorial duties, Dr Sturm also co-authored chapters on advertising, branding and corporate nationalism,the All Blacks and celebrity sports stars such as Sonny Bill Williams, Brendon McCullum and Lydia Ko.

The book also includes chapters by other Massey staff members and postgraduate students. A chapter looking at Māori (Indigenous) knowledge in sport and wellbeing contexts was written by Dr Bevan Erueti, Dr Farah Palmer, Angelique Reweti, Associate Professor Chrissy Severinsen and Dr Jeremy Hapeta.

Anotherchapter, entitled Symbolic Equality in Aotearoa New Zealand Sports Organisations, was contributed by Professor Sarah Leberman, PhD student Alida Shanks and Associate Professor Geoff Watson.

Dr Sturm says the book will be of interest to anyone with an interest in New Zealand sport. The publishers describe the book as "illuminating reading for anybody working in the sociology of sport, sport development, management, history or the wider history, politics and culture of Aotearoa New Zealand or the South Pacific.”

More about the book can be found here.