53rd Halberg Awards Nominations Announced

MEDIA RELEASE
15 December 2015

53rd Halberg Awards Nominations Announced

The Halberg Disability Sport Foundation has today announced 63 nominations have been received for six categories at the 53rd Halberg Awards – the nation’s pre-eminent event to honour and celebrate sporting achievements by New Zealand teams and athletes in 2015.

Twenty seven different sports are represented in the nominations which are received from National Sports Organisations and an independent Voting Academy. The Microsoft Surface Team of the Year and High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportsman of the Year received the most nods with 13 apiece.

Nominees in the Sportsman, Sportswoman, Disabled Sportsperson and Team of the Year categories will all be eligible for the supreme Halberg Award – the country’s highest accolade for sporting excellence. The Award is presented to the athlete or team whose achievement is deemed by the judges as representing excellence in sport at the highest level.

Current supreme Halberg Award winners Hamish Bond and Eric Murray are in line to defend the top honours again. The Men’s Pair are up for the Microsoft Surface Team of the Year category which will be hotly contested by the All Blacks, New Zealand Breakers, Blackcaps, the 49er crew of Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, the New Zealand Taekwon-Do team, three cycling teams and four more rowing crews.

The High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportsman of the Year category features 13 athletes from 11 sports including; Anton Cooper, Daniel Carter, Danny Lee, Eddie Dawkins, Kane Williamson, Mahe Drysdale, Scott Dixon, Tomas Walsh and Winston Reid.

Corey Peters, Jessica Hamill, Michael Johnson, Nikita Howarth and Sophie Pascoe are some of the seven athletes from five Para-Sports nominated for the Disabled Sportsperson of the Year category.

2014 High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year Lydia Ko is nominated again along with 10 other female athletes from nine sports including; Lauren Boyle, Linda Villumsen, Lisa Carrington, Sarah Walker and Zoe McBride.

Nominations have also been received for the SKY NEXT Emerging Talent and Coach of the Year Award categories. Nine athletes, including Bobbi Gichard, Jesse Reynolds and Tai Wynyard, are up for the SKY NEXT Emerging Talent Award which is designed to assist in a young athletes’ quest to become an Olympic and/or World Champion.

Anthony Peden is nominated again for the Coach of the Year Award along with ten coaches from nine sports including; Gordon Walker, Hamish Wilcox, Mike Hesson, Raylene Bates and Steve Hansen.

Nominations will now go to the Halberg Awards judges which includes former athletes, coaches and sports journalists. The judges will review the achievements submitted to decide the finalists which will be announced in early January 2016. Performances by athletes or teams that take place up until 31 December 2015 are open to nomination.

Ten awards are presented at the 53rd Halberg Awards which will be held on Thursday 18 February 2016at Vector Arena in Auckland and televised live on SKY SPORT. Other award categories presented on the night are; New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment (public vote category), Sport New Zealand Leadership Award, Lifetime Achievement Award. Inductees into the Sports Hall of Fame will also be made at the event.

The annual Halberg Awards is the major fundraiser for the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation, thecharity set up by Olympic champion Sir Murray Halberg (ONZ) to enhance the lives of physically disabled New Zealanders. The Foundation has a team of Disability Sport Advisers who connect physically disabled people to sport and recreation opportunities, it also provides grants for adaptive sports equipment, lessons and camps and hosts the Halberg Junior Disability Games - a national three day sports competition for physically disabled young people in Cambridge.

“The Awards nominations represent another outstanding year of sporting achievements for New Zealand athletes and teams on the world stage,” says Shelley McMeeken, Chief Executive of the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation.

The full list of nominations for the 53rd Halberg Awards:

High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportsman of the Year (Eligible for the supreme Halberg Award)

Adam Ling (Rowing), Anton Cooper (Mountain Biking), Daniel Carter (Rugby), Danny Lee (Golf), Dexter Dunn (Harness Racing), Eddie Dawkins (Cycling), Kane Williamson (Cricket), Mahe Drysdale (Rowing), Matt Archibald (Cycling), Sam Gaze (Mountain Biking), Scott Dixon (Motorsport), Tomas Walsh (Athletics), Winston Reid (Football).

High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year (Eligible for the supreme Halberg Award)

Avalon Biddle (Motorcycling), Janina Kuzma (Skiing), Kimberley Chambers (Swimming), Lauren Boyle (Swimming), Linda Villumsen (Cycling), Lisa Carrington (Canoeing), Lydia Ko (Golf), Rachel Priest (Cricket), Sarah Walker (BMX), Zoe McBride (Rowing).

Disabled Sportsperson of the Year (Eligible for the supreme Halberg Award)

Corey Peters (Para-Skiing), Emma Foy and Laura Thompson (Para-Cycling), Jessica Hamill (Para-Athletics), Michael Johnson (Para-Shooting), Nikita Howarth (Para-Swimming), Rory McSweeney (Para-Athletics), Sophie Pascoe (Para-Swimming).

Microsoft Surface Team of the Year (Eligible for the supreme Halberg Award)

All Blacks (Rugby), BLACKCAPS (Cricket), Junior Women’s Team Pursuit; Holly White, Bryony Botha, Madeleine Park and Michaela Drummond (Cycling), Men's Pair; Hamish Bond and Eric Murray (Rowing), Men's Team Pursuit; Piet Bulling, Alex Frame, Dylan Kennett, Marc Ryan, Regan Gough (Cycling), Men's Team Sprint; Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster, Eddie Dawkins (Cycling), New Zealand Breakers (Basketball), Men’s 49er Class; Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (Yachting), New Zealand Taekwon-Do Team (Taekwon-Do), Women's Double Scull; Zoe Stevenson and Eve MacFarlane (Rowing), Women's Eight; Rebecca Scown, Genevieve Behrent, Kerri Gowler, Grace Prendergast, Kelsey Bevan, Ruby Tew, Emma Dyke, Kayla Pratt, Francie Turner (Cox) (Rowing), Women's Light Weight Double Scull; Julia Edward And Sophie McKenzie (Rowing), Women's Pair; Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast (Rowing).

SKY NEXT Emerging Talent

Bobbi Gichard (Swimming), Campbell Stewart (Cycling), Carlos Garcia Knight (Snowboarding), Clayton Lewis (Football), Dylan Schmidt (Trampoline), Eliza McCartney (Athletics), Jesse Reynolds (Para-Swimming), Richard Rahardja (Karate), Tai Wynyard (Basketball).

Coach of the Year Award

Anthony Peden (Cycling), David Plew (Mountain Biking), Gary Hay (Rowing), Gordon Walker (Canoeing), Hamish Wilcox (Yachting), Mike Hesson (Cricket), Raylene Bates (Para-Athletics), Ross Machejefski (Cycling), Steve Hansen (Rugby), Tim Carswell (Cycling), Tom Willmott (Snowsports).

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