Parts of the play, active recreation and sport sector were hit hard by COVID-19. Sport NZ created a $25m Relief Package on 11 May 2020 to help respond to the immediate impacts of COVID-19. This package included the Community Resilience Fund Phase One, Exceptional Systems Support Fund and the Partner Support Fund.

The Government then announced $264.6m of investment into sport and active recreation organisations to respond to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lock down measures. This is known as the Recovery Package and it is informed by the Recovery Funding Framework.