Huge Competition for New Zealand’s Top Sports Honours

MEDIA RELEASE

12 DECEMBER 2014

Huge Competition for New Zealand’s Top Sports Honours

80 nominations received for 52nd Halberg Awards

The judges of the nation’s pre-eminent sports awards have a big challenge ahead as the outstanding success of New Zealand athletes on the world stage in 2014 has resulted in 80 official nominations for the Halberg Awards - a jump from 58 in 2013.

The 52nd Halberg Awards, organised by the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation, will honour the achievements of New Zealand athletes during the 2014 calendar year. Twenty six different sports are represented in the nominations which have been received from National Sports Organisations and an independent Voting Academy.

The High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportsman of the Year received the most nominations with 19 athletes from 13 sports put forward. The nominations list includes Brendon McCullum, Mahe Drysdale, Richie McCaw, Shaun Johnson, Steven Adams and seven cyclists.

The Halberg Disability Sport Foundation Team of the Year and SKY SPORT Coach of the Year award categories have received 16 nominations apiece. Teams put through for judging include the All Blacks, Black Caps, Kiwis, six rowing crews, two yachting crews and two cycling teams. 2013 winner Steve Hansen is again up for the coach category along with a list which features Mike Hesson, Stephen Kearney and five time winner Dick Tonks.

Ten athletes have been nominated for the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation Disabled Sportsperson of the Year including three time winner Sophie Pascoe and other Para-Swimmers Mary Fisher, Nikita Howarth, and Rebecca Dubber. A disabled bowls team, three Para-Cyclists, a Para-Shooter and a Para-Skier are also up for the vote.

The High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year will again be hotly contested by 2013 Halberg Supreme Award winner Lydia Ko and fellow finalists Lauren Boyle, Lisa Carrington, and Valerie Adams. They are joined by eight other athletes nominated including cyclist Linda Villumsen and rower Emma Twigg.

A Voting Academy of 28 former athletes, coaches and media representatives will now vote to determine the finalists which are announced on3 January, 2015. Outstanding performances by individual athletes or teams are still considered until 31 December, 2014.

The winners of the Sportsman, Sportswoman, Disabled Sportsperson and Team of the Year award categories will again be eligible for the supreme Halberg Award - the country’s highest accolade for sporting excellence.

The Halberg Award criteria states it will be presented to the individual athlete, athlete in a team, or team whose achievement represented excellence in sport at the highest level. Golfer Lydia Ko received the supreme Halberg Award at the 2013 event.

The annual Halberg Awards is the major fundraiser for the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation, the charity set up by Olympian Sir Murray Halberg (ONZ), which aims to enhance the lives of physically disabled New Zealanders by enabling them to participate in sport and recreation. In 2013 the Foundation distributed 364 Halberg Activity Fund grants to physically disabled young people for adaptive sports equipment, lessons and camps.

Halberg Disability Sport Foundation CEO, Geoff Burgess, says the leap in nominations this year is a great reflection of the hard work and success our athletes continue to achieve on the world stage.

“It’s good to see sports such as surf life-saving, wood chopping and taekwon-do represented in the nominees amongst more high profile sports like rowing, yachting, cycling and rugby. The Voting Academy have a huge task ahead evaluating and deciding who is deserved of the top honours.”

When assessing the nominees the Voting Academy consider if their achievement was in that sport's 'pinnacle event', whether it was a world record, or world ranking or recognition, the quality of the field or competition and the global nature of the sport.

Award winners will be announced at the 52nd Halberg Awards at Vector Arena, Auckland, on Wednesday 11 February, 2015. The event will also be televised live on SKY SPORT.

Other award categories that will be presented on the night include; Emerging Talent Award, New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment (finalists announced in January) the Sport New Zealand Leadership Award, Lion Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award and inductees into the Sports Hall of Fame.

The full list of nominations for the 52nd Halberg Awards:

High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportsman of the Year
Anton Cooper (Mountain Biking), Brendon McCullum (Cricket), Brodie Retallick (Rugby), David Nyika (Boxing), Jack Bauer (Cycling), James McDonald (Thoroughbred Racing), Jason Wynyard (Wood Chopping), John Holdzkom (Baseball), Mahe Drysdale (Rowing), Marc Ryan (Cycling), Richie McCaw (Rugby), Sam Webster (Cycling), Shane Archbold (Cycling), Shaun Johnson (Rugby League), Simon Van Velthooven (Cycling), Steven Adams (Basketball), Steven Kent (Surf Lifesaving), Tom Scully (Cycling), Tomas Walsh (Athletics).

High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportswoman Of The Year
Emma Twigg (Rowing), Jo Edwards (Bowls), Lauren Boyle (Swimming), Linda Villumsen (Cycling), Lisa Carrington (Canoeing), Lydia Ko (Golf), Melissa Timperley (Taekwon-Do), Sally Johnston (Shooting), Samantha Lee (Surf Lifesaving), Suzie Bates (Cricket), Teneale Hatton (Canoeing), Valerie Adams (Athletics).

Halberg Disability Sport Foundation Disabled Sportsperson Of The Year

Corey Peters (Para-Skiing), Emma Foy and Laura Fairweather - pilot (Para-Cycling), Mary Fisher (Para-Swimming), Michael Johnson (Para-Shooting), Nikita Howarth (Para-Swimming), Open Triples Disabled Bowls Team (Bowls), Phillipa Gray and Kylie Young - pilot (Para-Cycling), Rebecca Dubber (Para-Swimming), Sophie Pascoe (Para-Swimming), Tim Williams (Para-Cycling).

Halberg Disability Sport Foundation Team Of The Year

All Blacks (Rugby), Black Caps (Cricket), Kiwis (Rugby League), Macrobertson Shield Team (Croquet), Men’s Lightweight Four (Rowing), Men’s Pair – Hamish Bond, Eric Murray (Rowing), Men’s Team Pursuit (Cycling), Men’s Team Sprint (Cycling), NZ Women’s 470 Team – Jo Aleh, Polly Powrie (Yachting), NZ Men’s 49er Class Team - Peter Burling, Blair Tuke (Yachting), Surf Life Saving New Zealand Team (Surf Lifesaving), Team Seagate (Adventure Racing), Women’s Double Scull – Zoe Stevenson, Fiona Bourke (Rowing), Women’s Four (Rowing), Women’s Lightweight Double - Julia Edward, Sophie Mackenzie (Rowing), Women’s Pair - Rebecca Scown, Louise Trappitt (Rowing).

Emerging Talent

Andrew Trembath (Surf Life-Saving), Corey Main (Swimming), Eliza Mccartney (Athletics), Jesse Reynolds (Para Swimming), Regan Gough (Cycling), Sam Gaze (Mountain Biking), Zoe McBride (Rowing).

SKY SPORT Coach Of The Year

Anthony Peden (Cycling), Bruce Wells (Free Skiing), Chris Knight (Alpine Skiing), Dave Thompson (Rowing), Dayle Cheatley (Cycling), Gary Hay (Rowing), Gordon Walker (Canoeing), Hamish Willcox (Yachting), Jonathan Hailstone (Para-Cycling), Marion Horwell (Rowing), Mike Hesson (Cricket), Richard ‘Dick’ Tonks (Rowing), Roly Crichton (Para Swimming), Scott Bartlett (Surf Lifesaving), Stephen Kearney (Rugby League), Steve Hansen (Rugby).

Voting Academy

The 28-strong Voting Academy comprises media representatives, former athletes and coaches is:

Adine Wilson, Andy Hay, Awen Guttenbiel, Andrew Mulligan, Alison Shanks, Brendan Telfer, Dana Johannsen, David Leggat, Duane Kale, Eddie Kohlhase, Farah Palmer, Fred Woodcock, Graeme Crosby, Hamish Carter, Jayne Kiely Jonathan Millmow, Marc Hinton, Mark Richardson, Michael Jones, Michelle Pickles, Mike Stanley, Phil Tataurangi, Ramesh Patel, Rikki Swannell, Ron Cheatley, Ron Palenski, Susie Simcock, Te Arahi Maipi.

ENDS

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