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Kōrero: Sport and the nation

Sports award winners

Year Winner Sport
1949 Bert Sutcliffe Cricket
1950 Yvette Williams Athletics
1951 Ron Jarden Rugby
1952 Yvette Williams Athletics
1953 Barry Brown Boxing
1954 Bob Charles Golf
1955 John Reid Cricket
1956 Norman Read Walking
1957 Philippa Gould Swimming
1958 Murray Halberg Athletics
1959 Don Clarke Rugby
1960 Peter Snell Athletics
1961 No award
1962 No award
1963 Bob Charles Golf
1964 Peter Snell Athletics
1965 Wilson Whineray Rugby
1966 Roy Williams Athletics
1967 Denny Hulme Motor racing
1968 Mike Ryan Athletics
1969 Chris Bouzaid Yachting
1970 Harry Kent Cycling
1971 New Zealand Rowing Eight Rowing
1972 New Zealand Rowing Eight Rowing
1973 Glenn Turner Cricket
1974 Richard Tayler Athletics
1975 John Walker Athletics
1976 John Walker Athletics
1977 Ivan Mauger Speedway
1978 Gary Hurring Swimming
1979 Ivan Mauger Speedway
1980 Richard Hadlee Cricket
1981 Allison Roe Athletics
1982 New Zealand Rowing Eight Rowing
1983 Chris Lewis Tennis
1984 Ian Ferguson Canoe racing
1985 Susan Devoy Squash
1986 Richard Hadlee Cricket
1987 All Blacks Rugby
1988 Mark Todd Equestrian
1989 Erin Baker Triathlon
1990 Peter Blake Yachting
1991 Philippa Baker Rowing
1992 Annelise Coberger Skiing
1993 Eisenhower Trophy Team Golf
1994 Philippa Baker & Brenda Lawson Rowing
1995 Team New Zealand Yachting
1996 Beatrice Faumuina Athletics
1997 Danyon Loader Swimming
1998 Rob Waddell Rowing
1999 Rob Waddell Rowing
2000 Rob Waddell Rowing
2001 Caroline & Georgina Evers-Swindell Rowing
2002 Tall Blacks Basketball
2003 Silver Ferns Netball
2004 Sarah Ulmer Cycling
2005 Michael Campbell Golf
2006 Mahé Drysdale Rowing
2007 Valerie Adams Athletics
2008 Valerie Adams Athletics
2009 Valerie Adams Athletics
2010 All Whites Football
2011 All Blacks Rugby
2012 Hamish Bond and Eric Murray Rowing
2013 Lydia Ko Golf
2014 Hamish Bond and Eric Murray Rowing
2015 All Blacks Rugby
2016 Lisa Carrington Canoe racing
2017 Team New Zealand Yachting
2018 Tom Walsh Athletics
2019 Silver Ferns Netball
2020 No award
2021 Lisa Carrington Canoe racing
2022 Zoi Sadowski-Synnott Snow sport
2023 Lisa Carrington Canoe racing

This table shows the winners of what was originally the New Zealand Sportsman of the Year Awards, became the Halberg Sportsman of the Year Awards in 1980, and was renamed the Halberg Supreme Awards in 1992. The awards provide an indication of the sportsperson or team that captured the attention of the New Zealand public in that year.

The increasing recognition of women's achievement is notable. In the first decade women won the award on three occasions, with Yvette Williams winning twice. In the 1960s and 1970s women never received the award. It was won by women three times in the 1980s, four times in the 1990s, and six times in the 2000s (Valerie Adams on three occasions) – but only three times in the 2010s.

While rugby and cricket (the two major men's sports) took the award five times in the first 20 years, they won it on only two occasions (the All Blacks in 2011 and 2015) in the 30 years after 1992.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: The Westpac Halberg Awards

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Jock Phillips, Sport and the nation – Strong men and women, 1945 to 1970, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/table/41208/sports-award-winners (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Jock Phillips, i tāngia i te 26 March 2013.