01/06/2026
⚠️Important notice re attendance at Bocce and Indoor Bowls
Wednesdays 4.15pm - 5.15pm at WHHS
N.B. The full notice is below, including the parts in the video.
🟢🔴⚫️🟤
We understand that everyone wants to be able to take part and feel included, and we truly value the support of our athletes, families, and volunteers. At the moment, however, we are experiencing a shortage of volunteers for Indoor Bowls and Bocce.
Special Olympics Rotorua Trust is affiliated with Special Olympics New Zealand (SONZ), which means we must follow their rules and regulations. To run Special Olympics activities safely, we are required to have one volunteer for every four athletes. In addition, only registered athletes — those who have completed all required forms and medical information and have been approved by SONZ — are able to attend Special Olympics events and training sessions.
Recently, there have been occasions where unregistered people have attended training sessions, and some athletes have arrived without a carer or responsible support person. Unfortunately, this places us outside the required supervision ratios and creates safety and duty-of-care concerns, particularly if an emergency arises and we do not have the necessary contact information.
To make sure we are meeting regulations and keeping everyone safe, the following will apply:
• A register will be completed each week, and athletes must be signed in by someone who is responsible for them.
• If athletes arrive and we do not have enough registered volunteers to meet the required ratios, they will not be able to attend the training session that day.
• Priority will be given to athletes who only attend Indoor Bowls or Bocce.
• Only registered athletes, or people who are interested in what we provide may attend but must attend with family.
• Friends of athletes will not be able to attend as spectators unless they are accompanied by family, as this affects our ratios.
We would also like to remind everyone that transport to and from training sessions needs to be arranged by each individual or family. Our volunteers give their time generously, and many also work full-time, so we are unable to provide transport unless something has been arranged in advance. We also ask that those picking up athletes arrive on time. If delayed can they please call a volunteer to advise.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. These measures are in place to protect everyone involved and to ensure we can continue offering our programmes safely and within SONZ requirements.
