The Sport New Zealand Outcomes Framework (SNZOF) details the contribution of the physical activity (PA) system to national wellbeing. However, it is unclear whether the SNZOF meets the needs of the country’s diverse populations. This paper aims to review the SNZOF to assess whether it adequately addresses wellbeing for Māori and Pacific rangatahi (young people aged 12-17). We conducted a literature search of wellbeing frameworks for these populations and compared it to the SNZOF to identify gaps. Three themes were then formed by comparing similar gaps identified across the compiled literature; 1) the depiction of PA contribution to national wellbeing in the SNZOF is not adequately holistic; 2) the role of culture is not clearly detailed; 3) population autonomy is not included as a long-term outcome. To address the identified gaps, we made three overarching recommendations for future iterations of the SNZOF; 1) acknowledge all domains of long-term wellbeing equally as part of a more holistic approach; 2) make culture an overarching principle to the entire framework; 3) apply systems thinking to embed autonomy as a long-term outcome. Enhancing the SNZOF has positive future implications for equity across diverse rangatahi populations, creating a robust PA system and improving national wellbeing.

Introduction: This study investigates the effectiveness of a 20-week Sport-Based Positive Youth Development (SBPYD) program aimed at enhancing resilience among inner-city adolescents. The research focuses on how participation in structured sports activities can improve key resilience factors, including self-esteem, self-efficacy, and sense of belonging.

Methods: The intervention involved a combination of physical activities, small group remedial lessons in language, reading, and mathematics, and individual coaching sessions to set personal developmental goals. To assess the outcomes, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was used to measure self-esteem, while the Sense of Belonging Scale from the OECD’s PISA study evaluated adolescents’ sense of belonging. Additionally, self-efficacy was assessed using the self-efficacy statements from the Sense of Mastery Scale. Participants completed surveys at the beginning and end of the intervention to capture changes in these constructs.

Results: The findings indicated significant improvements in adolescents’ self-esteem. Equally, participants reported a stronger sense of belonging in the intervention context compared to the school context. These results suggest that the SBPYD program effectively fostered resilience among adolescents.

Discussion: The findings suggest that SBPYD programs effectively enhance resilience in adolescents by fostering self-esteem and a sense of belonging through structured sports activities. The study highlights the importance of such interventions in promoting positive youth development and suggests that future research should include control groups and larger sample sizes to further validate these results and explore the long-term impacts of SBPYD programs.