We know that when kids are more active they concentrate and learn better in class, and if games are involved their engagement goes up a notch!
New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Challenge is here as a fun way to get kids moving – offering an awesome way to combine activity with learning as they count their steps in the real world to experience an animated global adventure led by NZ hockey legend Gemma McCaw and rugby legend Cory Jane.
Throughout the Challenge, we will be giving health and wellbeing tips for you and your family.
Learn moreFind out about the great New Zealand sports stars who will be leading you on your adventure.
Learn moreThe privacy and security of all participants information is of paramount importance to us. For this reason, all passwords are encrypted to the same very high standard as your banks; children’s names are given as first name and last initial only; and adult contact details are only shared if permission is given for the purposes of being eligible for prizes and receiving tips and information from our partners.
All data is housed in the secure cloud servers of Amazon Web Services, one of the largest providers of these services in the world.
It is important to us that our online environment and mobile applications are not only easy to use and convenient, but private and secure as well. We are fully committed to protecting your privacy. By participating in the Challenge, any personal information that Adults submit will primarily be used to process their registrations. They can also choose to opt in or out of further communications. They may also choose to opt out of further communications from our event sponsors.
We may disclose information when required by law, or when, in good faith, we need to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Challenge, its customers, or others. We reserve the right to pass on any information relating to suspected fraudulent activity to the appropriate authorities.
Please note that the Web site may contain links to other Web sites; however, we are not responsible for their privacy policies.
If you would like to learn more, email us at support@healthiestschools.co.nz
“We will soon activate access to the Challenge websites so you can login from here.
Please click the link below to register your interest in taking part in the Challenge. If we’ve got places available we will send you a link to set up your team. Places are limited, so get in quick!
“Click here to Register Your InterestGet involved in the NZ’s Healthies Schools Support Crew Challenge with friends and family. Not only will you have lots of fun getting active with your friends, you’ll also help your child’s school to win a share AIA and Sovereign $50,000 sports grants.
Simply click the button below now to email us and we’ll let you know what to do next…it’s free to join.
Adapted from a successful program run in New South Wales schools for the Ministry of Health, it not only got the children more active, but had unintended benefits like; improving attendance and behaviour in class, facilitating positive social behaviour by promoting teamwork and encouraging student relationships, and enhancing learning opportunities through the integration of the New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Challenge into teaching components of the school syllabus.
Parents, support your children and join them on an epic virtual tourism adventure. Build your own avatar and join NZ hockey star, Gemma McCaw and NZ rugby star Cory Jane in New Zealand’s Healthiest School Support Crew Challenge.
If your child's school is participating you will receive an invite from your child's teacher to create your own team made up of friends and family in the “New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Support Crew” Challenge. You'll simply click a link, fill in a few details and get moving when the Challenge starts in Term 4. The more parents who get involved, the more chances your school has to win a share of $50,000 of AIA and Sovereign sports grants so encourage your fellow parents to create their own teams!
If your child’s teacher has not heard about the New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Challenge, send them to this website and they can register their interest in participating.
Due to the fantastic response to the NZ’s Healthiest Schools Challenge, all places have now been allocated. However, if any become available we will re-assign them to other classes. Click the green button if you’d like to go on our Waiting List
It’s FREE to enter! New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Challenge gets kids moving more often, as they learn and have fun counting their steps and other activity in the real world to experience a fun animated global adventure led by NZ hockey legend Gemma McCaw and NZ rugby legend Cory Jane.
Even better, by participating in the Challenge your school will be in to win a share of $50,000 worth of AIA and Sovereign sports grants. And if you get your class family and friends to also participate in the “Support Crew” Challenge, your school will get even more entries into the draw to win.
It’s easy to enter and fun to compete. Here’s a quick overview:
If you are a teacher, click the link to Register Your Interest in participating and we’ll send you the details you need to set up your class.
If your class is offered a place, we’ll email you a link to register your class online. Before the Challenge starts, we’ll send you pedometers for all the children in your class along with their own personal login so they can create their own avatars that they’ll see in the animated videos of your adventure.
When the Challenge starts, you’ll login to the Challenge site daily or every few days to enter the average daily steps the class has taken.
As steps are entered, all the teams move around the global course. When you reach each destination, you will be shown a fun animation featuring your avatars exploring that location and interacting with Gemma and Cory, who will motivate and inspire with healthy tips and ways to keep moving. Achieving each goal will “unlock” the next destination.
Teachers, we’ll load up tools and resources that you can use to link the Challenge content to class lessons if you like. The subjects of relevance could be; maths – adding and subtracting, dividing, distances; reading and spelling; culture, history, languages and geography of each place they visit; health and physical education and more.
What are you waiting for, round up a support crew and register your team!
If you’re unable to join the challenge but want to support from the side lines, let us know by emailing support@healthiestschools.co.nz and we’ll add you to the support crew emailing list so you can get the weekly updates and tips during the challenge.
We look forward to sharing this adventure to better health and wellness with you, and your community!
Support Crew registrations are open 12 September – 5 October 2018 while places last. Places are limited to 9,000 and are allocated on a first in, first served basis.
Throughout the Challenge, participating schools will get the chance to win the prizes specified below.
There is $50,000 total worth of sports grants for schools to win. The winning schools will be drawn at random and sports grants delivered to schools as 1x $10,000 cheque, 4x $5,000 cheques and 20x $1,000 cheques at the end of the challenge.
Schools receive entries to the draw for the sports grant prize pool via the following means:
Sports grants will be drawn the week commencing 26 November 2018 and the winning schools will be notified within 7 business days of the draw.
Only a maximum of 1 of the above sports prize grants can be won by a single school. Schools may be deemed ineligible to win a prize at AIA/Sovereign’s sole discretion if they registered but displayed no or limited engagement with the Challenge.
Participating schools will also have the chance to receive a visit from two Tottenham Hotspur International Development coaches, who will perform a general wellbeing session with students and may also run a soccer coaching clinic with selected kids (up to a maximum of 40). Teachers will be notified with more information on how to enter in September. Schedule times and details are to be agreed with the principals of schools that win.
Challenge participants will be given the opportunity to enter a draw to win a trip for two (one adult, one child between 8-13 years old) to fly to Sydney for an exclusive soccer skills session. There are 5 trips to be won. Teachers and Support Crew particpants will be notified with more information on how to enter in September. For further information and full terms and conditions click here
Throughout the challenge (16 October – 23 November 2018), there may be more chances to enter weekly challenges and win further prizes, announced in the weekly email communications sent to both teachers and parents of participants that have opted in.
Every step you take moves your team further around the New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Challenge global adventure. As you reach each destination, you will see a video of your avatars exploring with our sports stars Gemma McCaw and Cory Jane. Here are just a few of the amazing places you will see.
Kick off your exciting world tour in one of the most beautiful countries in the world — New Zealand. That’s right, no global adventure would be complete without taking in the beautiful sights and diverse cultures of these Islands. Start your adventures right here in your own backyard and explore this remarkable country from top to bottom.
You will be flying into Peru and landing at Cuzco, the historic capital of the Inca Empire. After exploring the city, you’ll trek the famous Inca Trail up to the ancient mountain village of Machu Picchu, before moving on and descending into the Amazon Basin.
In Vietnam, you’ll cruise up the famous Mekong River, the heart and soul of mainland Southeast Asia, explore the Vihn Moc Vietnam War tunnel complex, the beautiful Grottos of Ha Long Bay and more, before heading on to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea by boat.
Go on, get involved, get going, get healthier.
As well as our sports stars Gemma McCaw and Cory Jane giving you simple tips to feel healthy and well, every week during New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Challenge, we will be sending out a health and wellbeing topics for you to focus on. We will include some ideas on how to build these healthy habits into your daily life, family routine or introduce the themes in class at school.
Here are a few of the topics:
Go on, get involved, get going, get healthier.
Gemma championed our very successful 2016 AIA Healthy Kids Challenge, and it’s great to have her back as an ambassador for the 2018 New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Challenge brought to you by AIA and Sovereign. Formerly known as Gemma Flynn, she joins us this time as Gemma McCaw, having married All Blacks legend Richie McCaw in January 2017. Congrats!
Gemma is an international field hockey player with over 240 caps playing for the New Zealand national team, the Black Sticks Women. She won a gold medal at the 2009 Champions Challenge with the Black Sticks and also represented New Zealand at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.
Rugby World Cup-winning Cory ‘CJ’ Jane is a witty and hardworking team player with all of the hallmarks of a great winger: searing pace, dazzling footwork, reliability under the high ball and solid in defence.
Cory was Upper Hutt’s first All Black, a frontline international earning 55 caps between 2008 and 2015. CJ was in the 2011 Rugby World cup winning squad, being named ‘Man of the Match’ in the All Blacks thrilling semi-final win over the Wallabies on the way to the final.
CJ’s international career also saw him play for New Zealand Commonwealth Games Sevens (gold medal, 2006), Junior All Blacks and Maori All Blacks.
He represented his provincial side from 2003, earning 74 caps for the Wellington Lions, as well as 111 caps for the Hurricanes Super Rugby side. He was a key player in the Hurricanes 20-3 victory over Johannesburg’s Lions, winning the 2016 Super Rugby final.
Cory, a family man with four kids, left Wellington in 2016 to play in Japan for Toshiba Brave Lupus for two seasons, but is back, returning to his roots as coach of Wellington Lions.
The privacy and security of all participants information is of paramount importance to us. For this reason, all passwords are encrypted to the same very high standard as your banks; children’s names are given as first name and last initial only; and adult contact details are only shared if permission is given for the purposes of being eligible for prizes and receiving tips and information from our partners. All data is housed in the secure cloud servers of Amazon Web Services, one of the largest providers of these services in the world.
You need to have a good internet connection to access the Challenge website and a PC with Flash installed. We understand Flash is used for many other reading and maths programs schools use with their students. If you are not sure about this, please email us at supportcrew@teamchallenge.co.nz and we’ll help you.
Approximately 30 is the maximum
We understand that these types of environments still have a “basecamp” for a subset of the total number of students with a teacher or assistant associated with that group. We recommend that you set up each basecamp as a “team”. We also need a teacher or adult to act as a “team manager” for each team. If you need help with this, please just contact our support crew at supportcrew@teamchallenge.co.nz
You will receive enough pedometers for yourself and your students as well as some spares. You will have access to Tools and Resources to help you integrate the Challenge into class lessons should you wish. There are sporting grants to be awarded to schools and if you get parents involved, your school will gain more chance to win.
Simply send them to our website https://www.healthiestschools.co.nz and click the Teachers REGISTER Now! button. By filling out the form that you did, we will be able to send them their own unique link to set up their class.
It’s well recognised that when parents are involved with and helping their children, they are more successful, whether it be learning or practising healthy behaviours. It’s well documented that children who learn to love being active by the age of 10, go on to live healthier lives than those who don’t…parents have a significant influence on this.
When your class is registered we will send you an email with info you can drop into an email to parents with a link so they can register their own team with friends and family in the New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Support Crew Challenge that runs at the same time as the school event. It’s really easy and for every person in a team associated with your school, you get another entry in the draw to win the AIA and Sovereign Sports Grants. We’ll also send you some flyers with your class pedometers, so you can send it home with your children so they can encourage their parents to get involved.
You will be provided with pedometers for yourself and each child in your class that you will all wear each day to count your steps. You will need to collect the steps for your class for each day (we have suggested some ways of doing this in the Userguide) to calculate a daily average steps. This is the one number you will enter into your Challenge Class Profile to move your team around the course
You will also receive a weekly email to keep you informed of what is coming up next for you, including the destinations, players and health and wellbeing messages you could use in your class if you wanted to. You are able to contact the support crew by phone or email at any time if you need assistance.
Not if you don’t want to. Simply get your students to focus on reaching the daily target of 10,000 steps and perhaps check their tally with them a couple of times during the day to remind them what their goal is. However, if you want to integrate themes of the Challenge further into your lessons, there is a Teacher Resources manual provided that is packed with ideas and tools. There are 1-5 minute activity break ideas, along with health and wellbeing tips and all the course details showing the destinations you are visiting around the world that are great for culture, history, geography and more
To do the basics of calculating your class daily average steps and then entering it into the Class Home Page online will take you about 5-10 minutes. But you could assign this task to your class monitor for the day, a teacher assistant or an older student who may help in your class. It does not have to be done every day either. Or you could make it a daily maths exercise for a different group of students to write down the steps of their classmates and then work out the average for that day.
You should all wear your pedometers every day, including the weekend. You will need to set up a system for collecting the steps of each child for each day, but we have given you some suggestions and sheets you can give them to fill in, in the Userguide.
Approximately 10,000 steps
Log on to the Challenge website at https://www.healthiestschools.co.nz/school from your PC or Smartboard so it’s easy to show the whole class as you enter data (to watch your team move on the map), check out the Leaderboard to keep an eye on the competition and view the animations as you achieve each goal. We’ll also provide you with details about the Challenge app before the event starts.
If your child’s class has entered the New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Challenge, you will receive an invitation from our child’s teacher, to form your own team in the “Support crew” Challenge made up of teams of parents, friends and supporters of all participating schools. Whilst it runs separately from the School Challenge, the timing, coaches, tips and animations are exactly the same so you can compare where your team is at, with your child’s class, to create some friendly competition at home!
You are helping your school by entering a team of your own, because every person in a team associated with your school, gives your school another entry into the prize draw to win AIA and Sovereign sporting grants….so get your team registered and encourage other parents to do the same!
If your child’s class is not yet participating, click on the REGISTER button on this website and either print out the flyer and take it to your child’s teacher or copy the link into an email and encourage them to get involved.
You will be helping your children to grow up healthier and better able to learn. When parents are engaged with and supporting their children, their kids are generally more successful, whether it be learning in class or practising healthy behaviours — research has shown that children who learn to love being active by the age of 10, go on to live healthier lives than those who don’t.
It will be fun, and by getting involved you will be helping your child’s school to win AIA and Sovereign sporting grants.
Also, you and your children can help each another get moving - ramp up the step count by getting outside, kick a ball around or take the dog for a walk perhaps - and generally adding to the family fun.
Many people already have step counting devices or phones that count steps. If you do not have a suitable smartphone or device, you can purchase a pedometer, or you can use the “step estimator” we will provide when you enter your “support crew” team.
When the Challenge starts, record the number of steps you take each day, weekends too, and enter them into your Challenge Personal Profile online to see your team move around the course. Check your position on the leaderboard because you’ll be racing against other parents and friends from your school and others around the country!
Just like the kids, as you reach the end of each milestone, you will be rewarded with an animated video of your avatar with your team mates, interacting with our NZ sports stars and exploring each destination.
You can access your Challenge Home Page by logging on via PC to the Challenge website, or if you have a smartphone, you will be provided with links to download the necessary apps before you start.
Each team can have between 3 and 4 entrants. You can invite your friends, family or another child who may not be doing the School Challenge, to do it with you. Entrants will need an email address as that creates their unique identify in the system. The more parents that enter a team and participate, the more chances your child’s school has to win an AIA and Sovereign sporting grant.
The privacy and security of participant details are of paramount importance to us, so all passwords are encrypted to the same very high standard as your banks. Student’s names are recorded as first names and surname initial only.
Adults can opt to have their contact details held and shared, so they are eligible for prizes or wish to receive tips and information from our partners. All data held is secure in the cloud servers of Amazon Web Services, one of the largest providers of these services in the world.