First Male Inductees For Maori Sports Hall Of Fame
6 October 2004
First Male Inductees For Maori Sports Hall Of Fame
Great Maori sportsmen of the past such as Joseph Warbrick, Opai Asher, George Nepia, Tori Reid and Albie Pryor will be officially inducted into the Maori Sports Hall of Fame in December.
‘Te Rongo-Tu-Taua a Maui’ – honouring male Maori champions from the past – is the theme of the 2004 Trillian Trust Maori Sports Awards to be held at the Auckland Showgrounds on Saturday, December 4.
Te Tohu Taakaro o Aotearoa executive director Richard (Dick) Garratt says a special table will be set aside at the black-tie awards ceremony for living legends Pat Walsh, Sid Going, Waka Nathan, Manga Emery, Mackie Herewini, Bill Kini and Phillip Orchard.
One of Maoridom’s leading entertainers – Sir Howard Morrison – will pay tribute to the champions of yesteryear as part of the entertainment line-up. Auckland cultural group Te Tira Hou, Whakatane High School’s Super 12 kapa haka troop and NZ Idol finalist Luke Whaanga will also perform at the event.
Awards in 10 categories are up for grabs including Maori sports administrator of the year; umpire/referee; sportsperson with a disability; coach; junior sportsman and woman; senior sportsman and woman; sports team; and world champions.
Scholarships worth more than $20,000 will be presented on the night as well as a special Maori Olympian prize, the Maori Sports Media Award of the Year and SPARC’s Best Community Initiative Award.
The annual awards event recognises sporting achievements from October 1, 2003, to October 1, 2004, with judges selecting three finalists in each category.
New Zealand netball’s golden girl, Temepara Clark, won senior Maori sportswoman at last year’s event before picking up the supreme award, the 2004 Albie Pryor Memorial Maori Sports Person of the Year.
More information about the 2004 Trillian Trust Maori Sports Awards is on the website HYPERLINK "http://www.maorisportsawards.co.nz/"www.maorisportsawards.co.nz including table and ticket sales.
ENDS