Women & Girls

July 2026

First and foremost, thank you to every woman, girl, coach, parent and caregiver who took the time to complete the survey. Your willingness to openly share your experiences both positive and challenging has created an invaluable foundation for this project and provided the most comprehensive picture to date of the experiences of women and girls across the competitive cycling community. Your voices will directly shape the future direction of women and girls' cycling in New Zealand.

The survey received 268 responses and was designed to understand the experiences of women and girls across the competitive cycling pathway. Responses were received from a cross section of disciplines providing insight into the environments where athletes learn, compete and progress. The findings reflect the collective experiences of the competitive cycling community and highlight opportunities for all parts of the system - clubs, schools, event organisers, coaches, officials, volunteers, and member organisations - to work together to create more inclusive and supportive pathways.

While the findings highlight opportunities for improvement, they also tell a powerful story of why women and girls continue to choose cycling. Across every discipline, respondents spoke passionately about the sense of achievement, challenges, friendships, and community that cycling provides.

What's Working Well

Importantly, the survey also identified many examples of what is already working well across competitive cycling.

Respondents spoke positively about welcoming clubs, supportive volunteers, inspiring coaches, women supporting women, positive race-day environments and visible female role models who demonstrate what is possible.

Many respondents acknowledged that progress is already being made and recognised the positive impact of recent initiatives across the cycling community.

What Happens Next

This research marks the beginning, not the end of the Women & Girls Project.

The survey findings will now be used by the Women & Girls Working Group to develop a long-term action plan focused on creating meaningful and sustainable change across the competitive cycling pathway. This work will involve collaboration across the cycling community, including clubs, schools, events, member organisations, coaches, officials, volunteers and athletes, recognising that sustainable change requires collective action.

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Sally Miller, Cycling New Zealand People & Culture Lead, says the findings provide both a clear call to action and genuine optimism for the future.

"This survey has given us something incredibly valuable - the honest voices of women and girls from right across our competitive cycling community. While it's clear there are areas where improvements can be made, from club and school to HP development and elite, it's equally clear that women and girls love this sport and want to see it succeed.

The findings reinforce that there isn't a single issue or single part of the cycling community responsible for creating change. The experiences shared through this research reflect the broader competitive cycling pathway - this is a whole-of-community opportunity. Together with member organisations, clubs, schools, coaches, officials, volunteers and athletes, we can build environments where women and girls feel welcomed, valued, supported and able to thrive, regardless of their cycling aspirations.

This is only the beginning. The survey has given us a strong evidence base, and we're committed to working alongside the cycling community to turn these insights into meaningful action."

Cycling New Zealand thanks everyone who contributed to the research and looks forward to continuing this journey alongside the cycling community.