New Zealand sent a delegation to compete at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, West Germany.

[1] The team consisted of Graham Condon, Leo Close, Neroli Fairhall, Graeme Marett, Keith McCormick, Dennis Miller, Tina Morgan, Chris Nicholls, Eve Rimmer, and Jim Savage.

[2] [3] Athletes at the Paralympics in 1972 were all afflicted by spinal cord injuries and required the use of a wheelchair.

[4] This is in contrast to later Paralympics that include events for participants that fit into any of five different disability categories; amputation, either congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.

[5][6] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition.