New Zealand's First Dedicated Sports School NZPAA Set To OpenThe country’s first dedicated sports school, New Zealand Performance Academy Aotearoa (NZPAA), will open next week. (February 2nd)The new charter school is based at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS) in Upper Hutt and caters for Year 11–13 students. NZPAA offers a world-class high-performance sporting environment alongside a rigorous academic programme, with individualised plans tailored to each student. Ms van Gemerden said NZPAA “is first and foremost a school.”“This is all about choice. For many the only option to attend a school like this currently would be in a private school setting and a lot of families simply can’t afford that.