This website provides school staff, coaches, parents and whānau, and health providers with information on concussion management within the Aotearoa New Zealand secondary school setting. The aim is to ensure that all students who sustain a concussion are well supported during their recovery and to enable a successful return to learning and activity/sport.

We have based the information on this website on international best practice for concussion management. We were also informed by research conducted by New Zealand Rugby, the University of Otago and Auckland University of Technology (AUT), the new ACC Concussion in sport and recreation guidelines (2025), and by various stakeholders of secondary schools, and sports and health care provider organisations.

Included on this website is a Framework for Managing Concussions in New Zealand Secondary Schools (Headsmart Schools NZ booklet) that your school may adopt and tailor within its own contexts, including policies and procedures to use as templates. Appendices include information on how to recognise when a student has sustained a concussion, what information to provide at the time of injury, medical referral pathways, and the school’s and individual responsibilities for implementing a recovery plan.

Concussion overview

In many cases, concussions resolve with minimal medical input, particularly if they are appropriately managed from the start. Evidence (1) shows that accessing a diagnosis and correct medical care within the first three days of the injury are key factors that influence recovery duration.

Concussions can happen in all aspects of life. Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) data shows that:

- The highest rates of concussion are sustained in young people aged 13 to 18 years.

- Only 40% of concussions are sports-related, and the majority occur during daily life, accidents, and at workplaces or schools.

It is important that all school staff are aware of concussion symptoms and can support students' recovery.

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury caused by an impact to the head or a blow to the body that results in a whiplash style movement of the head. These events cause the head to move rapidly or stop suddenly, causing the brain to bounce around and twist inside the skull. This damages and stretches the brain cells which causes them to release chemicals which affect how the brain works. This also makes the brain more vulnerable for further injury.

Concussions can severely impact a student’s ability to learn and function at school. Besides the immediate signs and symptoms, concussions can also lead to long-term mental and emotional health issues, such as depression, which can have detrimental effects on well-being and learning outcomes if not managed correctly.

Recovery usually occurs within 4 weeks but children and adolescents often take longer to recover. Girls often take longer to recover than boys. Extra caution is thus needed to identify those with concussion and to make sure that they have fully recovered

(1) Bastos Gottgtroy R, Hume PA, Theadom A. Describing the patient journey through healthcare pathways following mild traumatic brain injury in New Zealand using novel Graph analysis. Brain Injury 2023:1-11. doi: 10.1080/02699052.2023.2230878

What’s it like to have a concussion?