New Zealand’s ‘Favourite Sporting Moment’ For 2010 - Your Chance To Vote
Auckland, 29 December 2010 - The people of New Zealand will get the chance to vote for a new award - ‘New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment’, which
will be announced along with other winners at the Westpac Halberg Awards in February.
For the first time in the history of New Zealand’s pre-eminent national sporting awards - which date back to 1949 when
cricket great Bert Sutcliffe was named the country’s first ‘Sportsman of the Year’ - The Halberg Trust will involve a
‘Public Vote’ component at the dinner on February 10, which will also crown the winner of the ‘Halberg Award’ for 2010.
New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment, sponsored by SPARC, is a new initiative introduced by the Halberg Trust to
engage the public more closely in the Westpac Halberg Awards and at the same time serve to stimulate greater public
awareness of the work the Trust does in linking disabled people to sport in their community.
“We know how much New Zealanders care about their sport and now they get a chance to become involved in a meaningful
way,” says Halberg Trust Chief Executive Steve Hall. The criteria for ‘New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment’, bought
to you by SPARC, is “the most exciting, remarkable or compelling sporting moment, game or series during 2010 involving
New Zealand sporting teams and individuals both at home and abroad.”
A panel made up of representatives from The Halberg Trust, SPARC and media partners have selected a shortlist of 8
special 2010 sporting moments, from which the public can select their ‘Favourite Sporting Moment’. They are (in
chronological order):
1. Brendon McCullum - 116 not out off 56 balls; Black Caps vs Australia T20, Christchurch
2. Adam Hall - recovers and wins slalom Gold; Vancouver Paralympics
3. All Whites - Winston Reid’s last minute goal vs Slovakia; FIFA World Cup, South Africa
4. All Blacks - Israel Dagg’s last minute try to beat Springboks; Tri Nations, Soweto
5. Nikki Hamblin - late surge for 800m Silver; Delhi Commonwealth Games
6. Silver Ferns - double extra-time victory over Australia for Gold; Delhi Commonwealth Games
7. Men’s Pair - Hamish Bond & Eric Murray win Gold; World Rowing Championships, Karapiro
8. Kiwis - Nathan Fien’s last minute try to beat Australia and win Four Nations; Brisbane
SPARC Chief Executive Peter Miskimmin says SPARC is delighted to partner with the Halberg Trust in bringing together an
award which he feels will capture the imagination of the New Zealand public. “SPARC invests in high performance sport
because it excites and inspires the nation. This award celebrates those special moments. I think Kiwi sports fans will
enjoy the opportunity to share their thoughts on the moments that excited and inspired them.”
Mr Hall says in addition to the support of SPARC as the naming rights partner of ‘New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting
Moment’ the Halberg Trust has been joined by SKY Sport, the presenting partner of the live telecast of the awards on
February 10, plus TRN through Radio Sport, Newstalk ZB and Fairfax Media, in promoting the new award to the public.
Voting for New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment can be made by text and online at skysport.co.nz, starting on January
1. Voting closes at lunchtime on Thursday February 10 - the night of the Westpac Halberg Awards. For full voting details
go to www.skysport.co.nz.
The feature of the public voting is a prize of four tickets to attend the Westpac Halberg Awards Dinner on February 10,
which includes travel and accommodation, walking the red carpet with the stars and sitting with three - time Halberg
Award winner, Valerie Adams.
The public is asked to go to www.skysport.co.nz and check the terms and conditions of the competition, which is only open to New Zealand residents. The public can vote
more than once but may only cast one vote per day.
“We are confident the New Zealand sports public will be keen to get involved in determining the outcome of this new
award,” says Mr Hall. “There have been so many special sporting moments involving New Zealand sports men, women and
teams this year, what with the Football World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the World Rowing Championships, the Kiwis
Four Nations triumph and the All Blacks Test successes, to name just a few,” he says.