“Nearly one in three adult New Zealanders now engages with our sector. That represents over a million Kiwis choosing to make exercise part of their lives.”
“The people being recognised through these Awards aren’t just delivering workouts. They’re building communities, creating a sense of belonging and helping people overcome barriers to exercise.”
Nearly one in three adult New Zealanders now use the exercise industry, as record entries for the 2026 ExerciseNZ Awards highlight the growing reach and diversity of the sector.
Exercise New Zealand (ExerciseNZ) today announced the finalists for the 2026 ExerciseNZ Awards, following a record number of entries across this year’s award categories.
The record response comes as around 30% of adult New Zealanders now participate through the structured exercise sector, a record level of engagement and a significant milestone for an industry focused on getting more Kiwis moving.
ExerciseNZ Chief Executive Richard Beddie says the two trends are closely connected.
“Nearly one in three adult New Zealanders now engages with our sector. That represents over a million Kiwis choosing to make exercise part of their lives, and behind every one of them are the people and facilities creating the environments that make that possible.”
“This year’s record number of Awards entries gives us a snapshot of the extraordinary work happening across the country – often at a very local level – to help New Zealanders become and stay active.”
________________________________
Awards Evolve Alongside a Changing Industry
The 2026 Awards have expanded to recognise the increasingly diverse roles people and organisations play in supporting New Zealanders to exercise.
New and refreshed categories include Personal Trainer – Targeted Coaching, Emerging Personal Trainer, People’s Choice, Reception / Front of House Team, Sales Excellence, and Recreation Facility of the Year.
The new categories recognise that the diversity in creating lifelong exercise habits extends well beyond the traditional image of a gym or personal trainer.
This is reflected in this year’s finalists, who represent gyms, studios, recreation and aquatic facilities and independent exercise businesses from communities across Aotearoa. Finalists include personal trainers, group exercise instructors, educators, yoga and Pilates teachers, students, leaders, front-of-house teams and sales professionals.
________________________________
A Bright Spot for Physical Activity
The sector’s growth is particularly important as New Zealand continues to grapple with the challenge of keeping people physically active throughout their lives.
Beddie says the numbers show the exercise industry has an increasingly important role to play in the country’s wider health and wellbeing.
“There is no single solution to getting New Zealand more active. What we do know is that more Kiwis than ever are choosing structured exercise, and that is something worth celebrating.”
“The people being recognised through these Awards aren’t just delivering workouts. They’re building communities, creating a sense of belonging, helping people overcome barriers to exercise and, in many cases, changing people’s relationship with physical activity altogether.”
________________________________
The ExerciseNZ Awards have been recognising excellence within New Zealand’s exercise industry for more than 20 years and celebrate achievement across individual, team, facility and community categories.
The 2026 winners will be announced at the ExerciseNZ Awards Ceremony at the Grand Millennium Auckland on Friday 20 November, with 26 awards to be presented.
View the full list of 2026 ExerciseNZ Awards finalists and Awards Ceremony information.