Wairarapa Māori
Sports Awards 2007
From left to right. Back: Danny Te Tau, Te Wairakau
Carroll, Joe Harwood,
Trevor Hawins, Te Whetu Waaka.
Front: Neil Van Wyke, Mary Ann Stuart, Kelsi Rutene,
Pam Britt, Steve Thompson
The inaugural Wairarapa
Māori Sports Awards was held at the Masterton YMCA on
Thursday 6th December. Local boy, Shannon Paku was the
guest speaker for the evening and we were entertained with
a performance by the Hadlow School Choir. It was a
wonderful evening and a great way to celebrate the sporting
achievements of our local Māori. We look forward to
this becoming an annual event.
Guest Speaker, Shannon Paku
Performance by Hadlow School Choir
Junior Female:
Finalists: Kelsi Rutene (Soccer), Harriet Cameron
(Hockey)
Winner: Kelsi Rutene (Soccer)
Kelsi is the captian of the Wairarapa College Girls First
XI, she is a member of the Senior Women's National League
Squad, as well as the FIFA Under 20's New Zealand World Cup
Squad. Kelsi has also been selected for the New Zealand
Māori Women's Team.
Trophy donated by Te Hauora Runanga o Wairarapa.
Junior Male:
Finalists: Anton Ross (Soccer), Neil Van Wkye
(Swimming)
Winner: Neil Van Wyke (Swimming)
Neil is the National age group champion for 100
and 200 metres Breathstroke and has set 10 new Wairarapa
records over the 2006 - 07 season. Neil is also the
National Secondary Schools Breathstroke Champion and the
winner of the Gary Salter Trophy for the most outstanding
performance of a Wairarapa swimmer.
Trophy donated by The Doctors Masterton.
Service to Sport:
Finalists: Jo Te Tau (Rugby, Soccer and Hockey), Trevor
Hawkins (Rugby)
Winner: Trevor Hawkins (Rugby)
Trevor has been involved with the Martinborough
Rugby Club ever since Adam was a cowboy. He has played,
coached and held numerous positions on the committee.
Trevor has been an instrumental figure in recruiting
players from overseas, he completed the groundwork for the
proposed new gym and was involved in organising the clubs
centennial. Trevor is the first to offer his car to
transport injured players to health facilities and you can
still catch Trevor marking the grounds today. Club members
say nothing is to much for this great man.
Trophy donated by South Wairarapa District
Council.
Team:
Finalists: Pioneer Under 13 Rugby Team, Tumapuhia
Taniwha Express Dragon Boat Team
Winner: Tumapuhia Taniwha Express Dragon Boat Team
The team is made up of members from Ngai Tumapuhia-a-rangi
hapu. They won the Petit Final of the Wairarapa Dragon Boat
Regatta, and competed in the Wellington Championship making
the finals of the competition. Team organisers say they
wanted to put together a team to rekindle relationships and
links between generations of hapu and found dragon boating
as an excellent vehicle for achieving this. When the team
was first put together only 4 of the 20 members had ever
paddled before and they were the only non-corporate,
self-funded team in the Wellington Champs.
Trophy donated by New Zealand Police, Masterton
Area.
Club Performance:
Winner: Pioneer Rugby Club
There was definitely no contest in this category of the
awards, only one club could win the inaugural club award.
While many others have come and gone this club has stood
the test of time, while many of the other clubs around it
were amalgamating for strength this club remained a
stand-alone force to be reckoned with, it has faced all the
adversities that bigger organisations, with financial
backing have thrown at it, and while a small minority of
players succumbed to the lure of those financial carrots
-on-a-stick the majority of die-hard members held staunchly
to their allegiance. It has been one of the few clubs in
the Wairarapa District that has been able to field full
strength teams in JABs, Colts, Senior Thirds, and the
Premier Divisions of the local competition on a regular
basis. The club has a history that spans 100 years and
although it is often viewed as a Māori Club, it has
always held its arms open to the whole community. The club
has worked hard to attract new players and supporters and
have recently upgraded their clubrooms, as well as
initiating a smoke free environment to create a wonderful
family atmosphere. They have also put in place a drug and
alcohol policy that culminated in them winning the recent
Wairarapa Sports Accreditation Award.
Trophy donated by the Walker Whanau.
Administrator:
Finalists: Puki Namana (Rugby), Pam Britt (Squash
WInner: Pam Britt (Squash)
Pam is a vital pivotal person at the Trust House Masterton
Squash Club. She has been involved with the club for 20
years, 7 as secretary and is currently in her seventh year
as president. She has also held the position of club
captain, kitchen co-ordinator and entertainment manager.
Club members say Pam is the ultimate club person and fully
deserves the administrators award.
Trophy donated by Carterton District Council.
Official:
Finalists: Fleur Jane (Hockey), Mary Ann Stuart
(Netball)
Winner: Mary Ann Stuart (Netball)
Mary Ann has become synonymous with netball in the
Wairarapa. She has umpired neball at Premier level and
below for the last 12 years. Mary Ann has also co-ordinated
all umpiring in the region this season and was the head of
Netball Wairarapa at Wairarapa College.
Trophy donated by Wairarapa Public Health
Organisation.
Coach:
Finalists: Joe Roberts (Rugby), Steve Thompson (Rugby)
Winner: Steve Thompson (Rugby)
Steve is the coach of the Gladstone Premier Team, winners
of the 2007 Wairarapa Bush Championships. Those close to
the team say that amongst Steves many attributes, is the
fact that he pays great attention to detail, and all who
have played under him say he is a great motivator. Steve
also contributes much to the club being the driving force
behind the proposed new lighting of the Gladstone playing
fied.
Trophy donated by Masterton District Council.
Senior Female:
Winner: Te Wairakau Carroll (Netball)
Here we find another category where (as the Highlander
would say) "there can only be the one". Known as a tough,
skillful and uncompromising player, she was a valuable
member of the Wairarapa Super League Team. She was also the
player/coach of the winning Harcourts Premier side of 2006
and coached the Harcourts Premier 2 team who went on to win
their grade. Our Senior Female winner has worked closely
with Sport Wairarapa in developing the sport of Netball
throughout the Wairarapa Region. To her family and friends
she is affectionately known as Hubba.
Trophy donated by Wairarapa District Health Board.
Senior Male:
Finalists: Jesse Workman (Hockey), Joe Harwood (Rugby)
Winner: Joe Harwood (Rugby)
Joe captained the Carterton Senior A Team who
won the Wairarapa Bush Competition in 2006. He was also
captain of the Wairarapa Bush Team who were the winners of
the inaugural Heartlands Division 1 Competition. Joe was
given the honor of leading the New Zealand Divisional Team
as captain when they toured Argentina in 2006.
Trophy donated by Papawai Marae.
Wairarapa Māori Sportsperson of the Year 2007:
Winner: Joe Harwood (Rugby)
Trophy donated by Rangitāne O Wairarapa.
Trophies kindly donated by:
Te Hauora, The Doctors, SWDC, NZ Police, Walker Whanau,
CDC,
Wairarapa PHO, MDC, Wairarapa DHB, Papawai Marae,
Rangitāne