Study Sport, Exercise & Recreation at SIT

From the fundamentals of fitness to the science of sporting success, studying Sport, Exercise and Recreation at SIT will give you the start you need for a career in the industry. Our programmes attract a high calibre of students, from elite sportspeople to sports administrators and academic achievers, and our programmes produce graduates who are skilled and knowledgeable practitioners, as well as researchers who have successful careers.

Many of our graduates move into the rapidly growing field of exercise science/health promotion/rehabilitation, while others pursue roles in sport and leisure management areas, or complete the course as preparation for a career in police, teacher training, fire service or armed services.

SIT Sport, Exercise and Recreation students work with athletes and sports administrators at all levels, including elite national and regional representative teams and individuals, but also at community and school levels, as well as amateur sport and recreation activities.

If you are a graduate or practitioner in fields such as nursing, massage, chiropractice, occupational therapy, physiotherapist or sport and exercise our Master of Applied Health Sciences (Wellness and Rehabilitation) will enable you to extend your capability in specialist practice, leadership and management in your professional setting.

Our courses have been offered since 1998 and our graduates are working and studying in New Zealand and around the globe. Many have continued their study at postgraduate, masters and doctorate level. You can start your career at our campuses in Invercargill, Christchurch or online through SIT2LRN Distance Learning.

Degree level study

If you're considering undertaking a degree in Physical Education or Exercise Science, take a closer look at SIT's Bachelor of Sport and Exercise. This is a top quality academic degree offering a choice of pathways in Recreation Management, Exercise Science/Health Promotion or PE (Physical Education) Teaching.

We take approximately twenty students into each of our first year programmes. We may also accept selected students into years two and three Diploma and Bachelor programmes, depending on their academic background and work experience. The small class sizes enable us to offer a very ‘hands on’ course with a high level of pastoral care. You can be assured that you will receive a quality education with targeted vocational practice.

Fantastic facilities

SIT has a newly upgraded and expanded gym on site which is well suited for health and fitness, rehabilitation and high performance sport. The gym features quality Cybex equipment and Olympic training weights, and students have access to a variety of specialist equipment in our Human Performance Centre including a VO2 metabolic cart.

The wider Southland region is a recreation paradise with some of the best international sporting facilities in New Zealand. The region boasts numerous world-class sporting facilities including NZ’s first indoor cycling velodrome, water-based hockey turfs on a par with the Beijing Olympic fields, an Olympic-size swimming pool, and a brand new indoor multi-purpose stadium. There are many sports clubs to join and easy access to outdoor activities in nearby Fiordland, the Catlins and Central Otago.

Train while you study

Historically the south has always provided its fair share of sporting heroes in various fields. In more recent years, our sports stars have been proudly tutored by SIT in our wide variety of Sport and Exercise Science qualifications. Several Olympians, Paralympians and professional sportspeople are currently undertaking their sporting qualifications at SIT – utilising the flexibility of the course to manage their sporting achievements alongside their tertiary training.

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Dr Duncan McKenzie

Publish Date: Tuesday, 26 August 2025

Tutor profile

Staff Profiles, Sports & Exercise

#SIT #Tutor Profile #Sports & Exercise

Dr Duncan McKenzie seemed destined to end up in the sport and exercise sector having developed a love of the great outdoors and sports early on. Growing up in Queenstown, with a love for the lakes and mountains, he went skiing at Coronet Peak with his parents. This has been a constant throughout his life, and he gave the same experiences to his own children. “They have grown up skiing and boating with my wife and I.”

Duncan came to Southland for his secondary school years and attended Southland Boys’ High School. As a young man starting out with a diploma in physical education from the University of Otago, and teaching qualifications from Christchurch Teachers College (University of Canterbury), Duncan taught at secondary school for a few years before heading to Western Australia where he worked in the fitness industry for 10 years. “I was a Personal Trainer, managed gyms and was involved in high performance sport while I was in Perth,” he said.

Duncan also completed his master’s in physical education and did some teaching at the University of Western Australia, then he moved back to New Zealand, taking a teaching position at Southland Boys’ High School. While Duncan enjoyed teaching at secondary school level “as the kids grow up so much”, the opportunity came up at SIT to develop sport and exercise courses.

It was 25 years ago that SIT started the Diploma in Sport and Exercise. Now they also have a bachelor’s degree, postgraduate studies and the Master of Applied Health Science (Wellness and Rehabilitation) (MAHS). “The department has quietly grown over those 25 years”, and Duncan has been involved in that growth.

“In Southland we’re well established in Sport and Exercise. We offer really, really good alternatives to other institutes,” Duncan said, and the Zero Fees Scheme allowed students to come from other parts of New Zealand to study at SIT, with a number of them choosing to live and work in Southland post-graduation. Even the international students who arrived from hot countries “grow to like our temperate climate”.

Duncan acknowledges the benefits of education at any age and stage. Since switching from secondary to tertiary teaching all those years ago, he says “I’ve learned that everyone grows hugely at any level of education.” He’s taught people in their 70s at SIT and noted, “they come with personal ambitions and conviction”.

As a tutor, he’s found a great deal of satisfaction in focusing on the student. “I’ve always been very student centric. What’s kept me in teaching for so long is enjoying the student on the way through.”

The impetus for his PhD thesis came out of Duncan’s own connections to surfing. He was quite late to the party when it came to surfing, taking it up in his thirties. “I am a keen surfer, and I know surfing appeals to me for many reasons, so I wanted to know from other surfers - what is it about phenomena (experiences) in surfing that makes us want to return to the water to surf,” he explained.

Duncan acknowledged the PhD has added to his professional body of work. “… it keeps me current [in education]; we’re promoting learning and studying. I think it’s quite a healthy process to be involved in yourself.” From a student point of view, Duncan has role modelled personal development. “It reinforces the practices of good study and it’s walking the talk,” he added.

“While it’s late in my working life, it’s given me a personal satisfaction. I’ve found it really enjoyable. It has been a lot of work, but I’ve enjoyed the work.”

For those thinking about a PhD, Duncan suggests “Pick something you enjoy. [my research] has made me even more interested in surfing. It’s very motivating.”

And when it comes to surfing, Duncan says “I’ll keep going as long as I can.” He’d had a surf recently at Colac Bay. “You could’ve been anywhere in the world; the sun was shining, the surf was great”, it was a perfect day.