Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman

Minister for Sport and Recreation

25 February 2016 Media Statement
Celebrating New Zealand cricket

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman will tonight mark the success of New Zealand cricket at the ANZ New Zealand Cricket Awards.

“I’d like to congratulate all the nominees. It’s been a fantastic year for cricket with so many great team and individual performances,” says Dr Coleman.

“We’ve built on the success of co-hosting the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015. More than 325,000 people attended the 23 matches held in New Zealand and well over a billion watched the global broadcast.

“This year the Blackcaps have gone on to complete another successful summer, including retaining the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, Ross Taylor’s double century against Australia and the fastest test century by Brendon McCullum.

“While the White Ferns success in India and in home games against England and Sri Lanka only reaffirmed cricket as a game for all New Zealanders.

“As a result there’s been a renewed passion for cricket in New Zealand.

“Figures from New Zealand Cricket show match attendance over summer is up, with around 190,000 people heading along to a game. This includes ten days of sold out venues hosting international matches, compared to two days of sold out matches in recent years.

“This renewed passion is also being felt in our communities with the figures also showing that mid-season player registrations are up around 15 per cent – the biggest increase in decades.”

Tonight’s awards are being held at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland and will celebrate all levels of cricket from volunteers and administrators through to the Blackcaps and White Ferns.

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