Yachting New Zealand wants to know what its members really think, and it is offering two $100 vouchers to find out.
The national body has launched a Club Engagement Survey, a 10-minute questionnaire aimed at understanding how members participate, what keeps them coming back, and where things could be done better.
It casts a broad net, touching on club participation, racing, volunteering, coaching, events, how people consume sailing media, and the various programmes Yachting New Zealand runs. Members are also being asked directly what would improve their experience at their own club, and what they'd like the organisation itself to do differently.
Chief executive Steve Armitage says the responses will shape what comes next.
"The feedback will help inform Yachting New Zealand's next strategic steps, while also providing insights into our audience and the activities and partnerships that could be most meaningful and beneficial to members," Armitage said. "We want to hear from our members about what matters to them and how they engage with sailing, yachting and boating."
This isn't just for dinghy sailors and keelboat racers. The survey has deliberately been built to capture the wider boating community that sits within Yachting New Zealand's clubs, so wherever "sailing" crops up in the questions, respondents are told to read it as covering yachting and boating too, whatever fits their own involvement.
Beyond the basics of club life, it digs into motivation, interest in major sailing and boating events, and how people follow the sport through the media. It also asks about awareness of, and attitudes towards, specific Yachting New Zealand programmes: RŪNĀ, Clean Club, the national yacht register, PHRF, the safety inspection programme, coach development and race official training.
There's a commercial angle too. Questions around sponsorship and partnerships give Yachting New Zealand a clearer read on what kinds of brand activity and experiences actually resonate with its members.
All responses are confidential and will only be reviewed in aggregate.
The survey closes at 5pm on Friday, 9 October.
