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Story: Gender and sport

Halberg Awards winners, 1949–2016

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Halberg Awards winners, 1949–2016

These graphs show the gender mix of Halberg Awards winners in three non-gender-specific categories – the supreme, team and coach awards – between 1949 and 2016. The awards began as the New Zealand Sportsmen of the Year in 1949. The event was run by New Zealand Sportsman magazine until 1960, when the award ceased. Athlete Murray Halberg resurrected it in 1963 and expanded it to include other categories. It was renamed the Halberg Awards in 1980.

Between 1949 and 2016, 73% of the supreme award winners were men or men's teams and 27% women or women's teams. For the teams award, 70% of recipients were men's teams, 27% women's teams and 3% (one team – the New Zealand equestrians at the 1998 World Equestrian Championships) mixed. 82% of coaching award winners were men and 18% women. 

Using this item

Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: Halberg Awards

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How to cite this page

Sally Shaw, Gender and sport – Funding and awards, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/40422/halberg-awards-winners-1949-2016 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Sally Shaw, published 3 December 2012, updated 1 June 2016.