Halberg Awards
The Halberg Awards are a set of awards, given annually since 1949, recognising New Zealand's top sporting achievements. They are named for New Zealand middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Sir Murray Halberg. The initial award was handed out in 1949, and continued until 1960 under the auspices of the NZ Sportsman magazine. Since 1963, the awards have been organised by the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation, and the number of award categories has grown to eight.
History
The annual award was started in 1949 by NZ Sportsman magazine founders Maurice O’Connor and Jack Fairbairn. The award was designed by them and bought from Walker and Hall for £195 NZ. The original inscription on the trophy was Fairburn and O’Connors words: "The New Zealand Sportsman's Trophy to be awarded annually to the New Zealand athlete whose personal performances or example, has had the most beneficial effect on the advancement of sport in the country". Awarding of the New Zealand Sportsman's Trophy ceased along with publication of NZ Sportsman in 1960.After a two-year hiatus, Murray Halberg revived the event in 1963 through the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation. The rules were altered in 1971 to allow teams to win the award, which that year went to the New Zealand eight.
The Awards are presented at a dinner which traditionally rotates between the New Zealand cities of Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, and which in recent years has been broadcast live on television. Over time, the award was expanded to include New Zealand Sportswoman of the year, New Zealand Team of the year, Sky Sport Coach of the year, Emerging Talent and Halberg Disability Sport Foundation Disabled Sportsperson of the Year awards, as well as the Lion Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, the Sport New Zealand Leadership Award and an award for New Zealand's Favourite Sporting Moment. The award was eventually renamed in Murray Halberg's honour, and since then the supreme award has been known as the Halberg award.
The Awards help the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation to raise funds, which are then used to enhance the lives of physically disabled young people, their families and communities, by enabling them to participate in sport.
The awards for 2019 were held on 13 February 2020, prior to COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand|COVID-19 pandemic] halting large events. With international sporting events during 2020 affected by COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided to award a decade championship at the 2021 ceremony. The previous winners between 2010 and 2019 across the eight award categories are eligible. The decade awards were scheduled for 18 February 2021 to be held in Auckland. After the Auckland region went to COVID-19 Level 3 on 15 February 2021, the Halberg Awards were postponed. The 59th awards were held on February 23 2022 with audience restrictions because of the COVID-19 red alert level.
Winners
Supreme Award
The annual award was started in 1949 by NZ Sportsman magazine founders Jack Fairburn and Maurice O’Connor to be awarded annually to the New Zealand athlete whose personal performances or example have had the most beneficial effect on the advancement of sport in New Zealand, as selected by a team of national sporting journalists. The title was "Sportsman of the Year Award" which was awarded annually until 1960 and was discontinued until 1963 when a charity set up by the 1958 winner, Murray Halberg, continued the event from 1963 onwards. The Halberg Disability Sport Foundation renamed the award in 1987 to the Halberg Award, and started having gender-specific awards, introducing the Supreme Award as a new category chosen from all other award categories.Hence, the table below shows the Sportsman of the Year Award winners as determined by NZ Sportsman, the Sportsman of the Year Award winners as determined by the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation, and the Halberg Award from 1987 onwards.
Favourite Sporting Moment
The Favourite Sporting Moment is decided by a public vote, unlike the other awards which are decided by a judging panel.| Year | Event |
| 2011 | Full-time whistle of the 2011 Rugby World Cup final; New Zealand All Blacks winning 8–7 over France |
| 2012 | Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan in the Rowing at the [2012 Summer Olympics – Men's double sculls|men's double sculls] win New Zealand's first gold medal of the 2012 Summer Olympics |
| 2013 | The Black Sox winning the Softball World Championship |
| 2014 | Brendon McCullum scores a record 302 runs in the second test match against India |
| 2015 | Grant Elliott hits a six off the second-to-last ball to put the Black Caps into the 2015 [Cricket World Cup final] |
| 2016 | Eliza McCartney equals her national record to win the bronze medal in the Olympic women's pole vault. |
| 2017 | Mitch Hunt drops a stunning last minute drop goal securing the win for the Crusaders during the Super Rugby season. |
| 2018 | Anna Leat scores the final goal in the penalty shootout against Japan at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup |
| 2019 | Silver Ferns win the 2019 Netball World Cup against Australia |
| 2020 | not awarded |
| 2021 | Emma Twigg’s Olympic gold win in the single sculls |
| 2022 | Black Ferns win the final lineout of the game against the throw, 5 metres from their try-line, winning the World Cup |
| 2023 | New Zealand Warriors claim a remarkable 32–30 victory over the Sharks having trailed 2–0 just 18 minutes into the game |
| 2024 | Finn Butcher pays tribute to his father, multisporter Dale, after winning gold in canoe slalom's Olympic debut |
Category finalists and winners
Category winners are in bold2020s
2024
The finalists were announced on 19 December 2024, except for the favourite sporting moment, for which the finalists were announced on 17 January 2025. The winners were announced on 18 February 2025.| Supreme Award | Lydia Ko |
| Sportsman of the Year | |
| Sportswoman of the Year | |
| Para Athlete or Team of the Year | |
| Team of the Year | |
| Coach of the Year | |
| Emerging Talent Award | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | |
| Leadership Award | Marcus Daniell |
| Favourite Sporting Moment |
2023
The finalists were announced on 10 January 2024, except for the favourite sporting moment, for which the finalists were announced six days later. The winners were announced on 14 February 2024.| Supreme Award | Lisa Carrington |
| Sportsman of the Year | Aaron Gate Ardie Savea Paul Coll Ryan Fox Shane van Gisbergen |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Courtney Duncan Ellesse Andrews Erika Fairweather Lisa Carrington Zoi Sadowski-Synnott |
| Para Athlete or Team of the Year | Anna Taylor (cyclist) Cameron Leslie Danielle Aitchison Lisa Adams Nicole Murray |
| Team of the Year | [New Zealand women's national rugby sevens team|Black Ferns Sevens] All Blacks All Black Sevens New Zealand Warriors Women’s K4 500m |
| Coach of the Year | Cory Sweeney Gordon Walker Sean Thompson Ian Foster Lars Humer |
| Emerging Talent Award | Erice Van Leuven Julian David Lucia Georgalli Milly Clegg Tara Vaughan |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | |
| Leadership Award | Wayne Smith |
| Favourite Sporting Moment |
2022
The finalists were announced on 11 January 2023, except for the favourite sporting moment, for which the finalists were announced six days later. The winners were announced on 15 February 2023.| Supreme Award | Zoi Sadowski-Synnott |
| Sportsman of the Year | Aaron Gate Dylan Schmidt Nico Porteous Paul Coll Shane van Gisbergen |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Ellesse Andrews Lisa Carrington Lydia Ko Ruahei Demant Zoi Sadowski-Synnott |
| Para Athlete or Team of the Year | Adam Hall Cameron Leslie Corey Peters Nicole Murray Sophie Pascoe |
| Team of the Year | [New Zealand women's national rugby union team|Black Ferns] Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy Joelle King and Paul Coll Kerri Williams and Grace Prendergast New Zealand Eventing Team |
| Coach of the Year | Craig Palmer Gordon Walker Sean Thompson Tommy Pyatt Wayne Smith |
| Emerging Talent Award | Cameron Gray Gustav Legnavsky Jenna Hastings Joshua Willmer Tara Vaughan |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | |
| Leadership Award | Sarah Hirini |
| Favourite Sporting Moment |
2021
The finalists were announced on 12 January 2022, except for the favourite sporting moment, for which the finalists were announced two days later, and cover achievements in both 2020 and 2021. The winners were announced on 23 February 2022.| Supreme Award | Lisa Carrington |
| Sportsman of the Year | Hamish Bond Paul Coll Scott Dixon Kane Williamson |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Lisa Carrington Courtney Duncan Sarah Hirini Lydia Ko Emma Twigg |
| Para Athlete or Team of the Year | Lisa Adams Anna Grimaldi Tupou Neiufi Sophie Pascoe Holly Robinson |
| Team of the Year | Black Caps Team New Zealand Men's eight Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast |
| Coach of the Year | Allan Bunting and Cory Sweeney Gary Stead Tony O'Connor [Gordon Walker (coach)|Gordon Walker] |
| Emerging Talent Award | Connor Bell Cool Wakushima Erika Fairweather Grace Nweke Marko Stamenić |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | |
| Leadership Award | Kereyn Smith |
| Favourite Sporting Moment |
2020
The 2020 awards were deferred because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with performances during 2020 eligible for inclusion in the 2021 Halberg Awards.2010s
The winners for the decade awards were announced on 24 March 2021.| Decade Champion | Hamish Bond and Eric Murray |
| Sportsman of the Decade | Richie McCaw |
| Sportswoman of the Decade | Lisa Carrington |
| Para Athlete of the Decade | Sophie Pascoe |
| Team of the Decade | Hamish Bond and Eric Murray |
| Coach of the Decade | Gordon Walker |
| Emerging Talent Athlete of the Decade | Lydia Ko |
| Leadership Award | Johanna Wood |
| Favourite Sporting Moment of the Decade | Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan in the men's double sculls win New Zealand's first gold medal of the 2012 Summer Olympics |
2019
The finalists were announced on 14 January 2020 except for the favourite sporting moment, which was announced on 16 January. The awards ceremony was held on 13 February at the Spark Arena in Auckland.| Supreme Award | Silver Ferns |
| Sportsman of the Year | Israel Adesanya Tom Walsh Scott McLaughlin Kane Williamson |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Lisa Carrington Courtney Duncan Laura Langman Zoi Sadowski-Synnott |
| Para Athlete or Team of the Year | Sophie Pascoe Lisa Adams Emma Foy and Hannah van Kampen Cameron Leslie |
| Team of the Year | Silver Ferns Black Ferns Sevens Women's eight Brooke Donoghue and Olivia Loe |
| Coach of the Year | Noeline Taurua Eugene Bareman Roly Crichton Gary Hay Gordon Walker |
| Emerging Talent Award | Alice Robinson Erika Fairweather Seb Menzies and Blake McGlashan Laurence Pithie |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Yvonne Willering |
| Leadership Award | Noeline Taurua |
| Favourite Sporting Moment | Zoi Sadowski-Synnott wins New Zealand’s first ever snowboard FIS World Championships gold medal Lisa Adams breaks world record to win shot put gold at World Para Athletics Championships Silver Ferns winning Netball World Cup Martin Guptill throw to run out M.S Dhoni to get New Zealand into the Cricket World Cup final The Blackcaps super over against England in the Cricket World Cup final Women’s eight winning gold at the World Rowing Championships Israel Adesanya winning UFC middleweight title Scott McLaughlin winning Bathurst Alice Robinson winning World Cup season opening giant slalom race TJ Perenara try against Namibia in Rugby World Cup |
2018
The finalists were announced on 10 January 2019, with the awards ceremony being held on 21 February.| Supreme Award | Tom Walsh |
| Sportsman of the Year | Tom Walsh Scott Dixon Scott McLaughlin Nico Porteous |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Lisa Carrington Joelle King Jonelle Price Zoi Sadowski-Synnott |
| Para Athlete or Team of the Year | Adam Hall Scott Martlew Sophie Pascoe Corey Peters |
| Team of the Year | Black Ferns Sevens All Blacks Sevens Black Sticks Women Women's under-17 football team Women's kayaking team |
| Coach of the Year | Leon Birnie Allan Bunting Clark Laidlaw Joe Schmidt Gordon Walker |
| Emerging Talent Award | Maddi Wesche Josh Armit Lewis Clareburt Amelia Kerr Anna Leat |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Barry Hunt |
| Leadership Award | Farah Palmer |
| Favourite Sporting Moment | Nico Porteous and Zoi Sadowski-Synnott medal at the Winter Olympic Games within two hours of each other David Liti breaks a Commonwealth record and wins gold in the men’s 105 kg+ weightlifting division at the Commonwealth Games Kelly Brazier scoring a long range solo try in extra time to secure gold for the Black Ferns Sevens against Australia at the Commonwealth Games Black Sticks Women's penalty shoot-out win over Olympic champions England in the semi-final at the Commonwealth Games Amelia Kerr blasts a record-breaking 232 not out against Ireland for the White Ferns, achieving the highest score in women’s ODIs Roger Tuivasa-Sheck receiving an impromptu haka after winning the Dally M Player of the Year Auckland Rugby win the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership final after a dramatic finish in extra time against Canterbury Black Caps win the first test against Pakistan by four runs Anna Leat's successful penalty shootout against Japan, leading New Zealand into the semifinal of the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup |
2017
The finalists were announced on 11 January 2018, with the awards ceremony being held on 8 February.| Supreme Award | Emirates Team New Zealand |
| Sportsman of the Year | Beauden Barrett ; Brendon Hartley ; Ross Taylor ; Tom Walsh |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Lisa Carrington ; Sarah Goss ; Lydia Ko ; Portia Woodman |
| Disabled Sportsperson of the Year | Corey Peters ; Holly Robinson ; Sophie Pascoe ; William Stedman |
| Team of the Year | Black Ferns ; Black Sox ; Emirates Team New Zealand ; Women's K2 – Lisa Carrington & Caitlin Ryan. |
| Coach of the Year | Gary Hay ; Glenn Moore ; Gordon Walker ; Mark Sorenson |
| Emerging Talent Award | Ellesse Andrews ; Josh Armit, Matt Macdonald ; Nico Porteous |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Morrie Chandler |
| Leadership Award | Steve Hansen |
| Favourite Sporting Moment | Martin Guptill smashes 11 sixes to give the Black Caps a seven-wicket ODI win. Mitchell Hunt drops a stunning last minute drop goal securing the win for the Crusaders during the Super Rugby season. Michael Venus wins the French Open men's doubles final to become the first New Zealand male Grand Slam champion since 1974. Black Ferns Sevens win the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series. Emirates Team New Zealand win the America's Cup. Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber win the Le Mans 24-hour race. Black Sox win the World Softball Championships title for the seventh time. Tom Walsh wins the shot put gold medal to become the first New Zealand male to win an IAAF track and field championship. Black Ferns win the Women's Rugby World Cup for the fifth time. Lisa Carrington wins the K1 200m gold medal for the fifth time at the World Canoe Sprint Championships. Ross Taylor achieves a record equalling 17 test centuries with the Blackcaps in the second test against the West Indies. |
2016
The finalists were announced on 11 January 2017 and the awards ceremony was held on 9 February.| Supreme Award | Lisa Carrington |
| Sportsman of the Year | Joseph Parker ; Mahé Drysdale ; Nick Willis ; Tom Walsh |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Lisa Carrington ; Luuka Jones ; Lydia Ko ; Valerie Adams |
| Disabled Sportsperson of the Year | Anna Grimaldi ; Mary Fisher ; Liam Malone ; Sophie Pascoe |
| Team of the Year | Women's 470 class – Jo Aleh & Polly Powrie ; Men's pair – Hamish Bond & Eric Murray ; Men's 49er class – Peter Burling & Blair Tuke ; Men's team sprint – Eddie Dawkins, Ethan Mitchell & Sam Webster |
| Coach of the Year | Steve Hansen ; Jeremy McColl ; Gordon Walker ; Hamish Willcox |
| Emerging Talent Award | Finn Bilous ; Dylan Schmidt ; Campbell Stewart ; Maynard Peel |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Myra Larcombe |
| Leadership Award | Sophie Pascoe |
| Favourite Sporting Moment | Brendon McCullum scores a world record century in 54 balls during his final test for the Black Caps; Luuka Jones wins the New Zealand's first ever canoe slalom medal, with a silver in the women's K-1; Mahé Drysdale defends his single sculls Olympic gold medal in a photo finish; Lisa Carrington becomes the first New Zealand female to win two medals at the same Olympic Games; Eliza McCartney winning the bronze medal in the Olympic women's pole vault; Nikki Hamblin and American Abbey D'Agostino helping each other to their feet mid-race in the Olympic women's 5000 metres heat; Liam Malone wins two golds and a silver in the men's T43/44 sprint event at his first Paralympic Games; All Blacks set a new record of 18 consecutive test wins; Shane van Gisbergen becomes the first New Zealander in 25 years to win the V8 Supercars championship; Joseph Parker claims the WBO World Heavyweight Championship Belt. |
2015
The finalists for the 2015 awards were announced on 14 January 2016, and the awards ceremony was held on 18 February.| Supreme Award | All Blacks |
| Sportsman of the Year | Dan Carter ; Scott Dixon ; Danny Lee ; Kane Williamson |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Lauren Boyle ; Lisa Carrington ; Lydia Ko ; Linda Villumsen |
| Disabled Sportsperson of the Year | Nikita Howarth ; Michael Johnson ; Sophie Pascoe ; Corey Peters |
| Team of the Year | All Blacks ; Black Caps ; Men's pair – Hamish Bond & Eric Murray ; Men's 49er class – Peter Burling, Blair Tuke |
| Coach of the Year | Steve Hansen ; Mike Hesson ; Gordon Walker ; Hamish Willcox |
| Emerging Talent Award | Eliza McCartney ; Dylan Schmidt ; Campbell Stewart ; Tai Wynyard |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Ashley Taylor |
| Leadership Award | Brendon McCullum |
2014
The finalists were announced on 7 January 2015. The winners were announced at the awards ceremony on 11 February 2015.| Supreme Award | Men's pair – Hamish Bond & Eric Murray |
| Sportsman of the Year | Steven Adams ; Richie McCaw ; Brendon McCullum ; Brodie Retallick ; Sam Webster |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Valerie Adams ; Lisa Carrington ; Lydia Ko ; Emma Twigg |
| Disabled Sportsperson of the Year | Mary Fisher ; Emma Foy and Laura Fairweather ; Sophie Pascoe ; Corey Peters |
| Team of the Year | Auckland City FC ; Kiwis ; Men's pair – Hamish Bond & Eric Murray ; Men's team sprint – Ethan Mitchell, Eddie Dawkins, Sam Webster ; Men's 49er class – Peter Burling, Blair Tuke |
| Coach of the Year | Steve Hansen ; Gary Hay ; Stephen Kearney ; Anthony Peden ; Gordon Walker |
| Emerging Talent Award | Sam Gaze ; Regan Gough ; Zoe McBride ; Eliza McCartney |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Dawn Jones |
| Leadership Award | Barbara Kendall |
2013
The winners were announced at the awards ceremony on 13 February 2014 at Vector Arena, Auckland.| Supreme Award | Lydia Ko |
| Sportsman of the Year | Scott Dixon , Aaron Gate, Andrew Nicholson, Kieran Read |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Valerie Adams, Lauren Boyle, Lisa Carrington, Lydia Ko |
| Disabled Sportsperson of the Year | Mary Fisher, Michael Johnson, David Monk, Sophie Pascoe |
| Team of the Year | Jo Aleh/Polly Powrie, All Blacks , Black Sox, Hamish Bond/Eric Murray, Peter Burling/Blair Tuke |
| Coach of the Year | Nathan Handley, Steve Hansen , Eddie Kohlhase, Guy Wilson |
| Emerging Talent Award | Gabrielle Fa'amausili , Jake Lewis, Tom Murray, Ella Williams |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Graham Sycamore |
| Leadership Award | Richie McCaw |
2012
The finalists for the 2012 Halberg Awards were announced on 31 December 2012. The winners were announced at the awards ceremony on 14 February 2013 at Vector Arena, Auckland.| Supreme Award | Hamish Bond/Eric Murray |
| Sportsman of the Year | Mahé Drysdale , Richie McCaw, Andrew Nicholson, Simon van Velthooven |
| Sportswoman of the Year | Valerie Adams , Lisa Carrington, Lydia Ko, Sarah Walker |
| Disabled Sportsperson of the Year | Mary Fisher, Phillipa Gray, Cameron Leslie, Sophie Pascoe |
| Team of the Year | Jo Aleh/Polly Powrie, All Blacks, Hamish Bond/Eric Murray , Peter Burling/Blair Tuke, Nathan Cohen/Joseph Sullivan |
| Coach of the Year | Calvin Ferguson, Nathan Handley, Richard Tonks , Gordon Walker |
| Emerging Talent Award | Anton Cooper, Dylan Kennett, Lydia Ko , Andrew McKenzie |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Arthur Eustace |
| Leadership Award | Sir John Wells |