Snow Sports NZ eyes the future with confirmation of four-year funding into high performance programme

Snow Sports New Zealand (SSNZ) is looking to the French Alps 2030 with certainty following the announcement of $16.22m funding across the next four years to support its high performance programme.

High Performance Sport NZ (HPSNZ) today confirmed its investment for the next quadrennial, a $2.26m overall increase on the past cycle, underlining its ongoing support for SSNZ and confidence in the current and emerging athletes now distinguishing themselves on the world stage.

SSNZ Chief Executive Nic Cavanagh said the investment reflected the ongoing rise of New Zealand as a medal-winning international programme.

“We are grateful to HPSNZ for the ongoing partnership,” he said. “One of our goals heading into the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics was to prove New Zealand is capable of repeatable success on the world slopes.

"Our most successful athletes, the likes of Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Adam Hall, have inspired a new generation of world class competitors; this funding gives them the best possible chance of realising their potential in a sport that has previously been dominated by northern hemisphere countries.”

New Zealand emerged third in the world in Park and Pipe in the FIS Freeski Nations Cup this past season, showcasing the depth inside the programme.

Luke Hetzel, Snow Sports NZ GM High Performance, said a key programme attribute was providing young athletes with the right support at the right times in their careers to develop holistically and safely into future elite athletes.

“In the last four years we have seen unprecedented development within the team. In 2026 we met our high performance targets, winning three Olympic and one Paralympic medal. Ten athletes from a team of 17 reached Olympic finals. New Zealand is home to Crystal Globe winners, the Freeride World Champion, our most successful Alpine World Cup and World Championship athlete ever, along with winners of events such as Snow League and Natural Selection. These successes help showcase New Zealand not just as a sporting nation, but as a snow sports destination, and we are extremely proud of all the athletes now competing on the world stage.”

Investment confirmed for the next four years will help SSNZ provide the necessary support, on and off the snow, to athletes with elite aspirations.

The funding also positions SSNZ well to support the anticipated inclusion of Freeride into the Olympic programme in 2030.

Nic Cavanagh noted that rising costs meant an increase in funding would largely help SSNZ maintain its momentum without major step changes to the programme.

“We are grateful for this decision in an environment where additional funding is never guaranteed. It is encouraging to have the backing of HPSNZ as we continue to deliver a world-class high performance programme focused on delivering results in the French Alps in 2030 and beyond.”