The coveted teams award went to the Hawke’s Bay Tui women’s rugby team, who reached the national Farah Palmer Cup semifinals after being promoted to the top grade at the end of 2022.
The most competitive category was the Emerging Talent Award, which went to ex-Taradale High School student Emma Findlay, who made her debut for the Black Sticks and is now headed for the Junior World Cup in Chile.
The golf team from her old school won the Junior Team of the Year award, to go with the Hawke’s Bay Secondary Schools Team of the Year Award Taradale won last month, recognising it as the first Hawke’s Bay team to win the national secondary schools title.
For the second year in a row, Central Hawke’s Bay claimed the Community Initiative Award, the accolade for the organisers of Flemington School fundraiser the Flemington Mud Run.
Mike Trautvetter and Terry O’Neill were awarded the Glenn Cook Technology Lifetime Contribution to Sport awards for their contribution to rowing and football respectively. Still heavily involved in their sports, the two stalwarts have contributed to the ongoing success of Hawke’s Bay Rowing and Napier City Rovers and the Eskview Football Club.
It was the Eskview club that claimed the Grassroots Club of the Year Award, having had to battle some of the most severe community consequences of the cyclone.
Sport Hawke’s Bay general manager Ryan Hambleton said: “The awards play an important role in celebrating our region, and this year it was extra special to bring everyone together and reflect on what has been a difficult year for so many”.
The 2023 awards winners were:
Sport.co.nz Volunteer of the Year: Ross Webb, rowing
Three Wise Birds Community Initiative of the Year: Flemington Mud Run
Brebner Print Official of the Year: Dan Waenga, rugby union
Fortune Favours Coach of the Year: Shea McAleese, hockey
Stirling Sports Grassroots Club of the Year: Eskview United Association Football Club
Health Hawke’s Bay Activating Te Matau a Māui: Te Matau a Mauī Hawke’s Bay Māori Rugby
Kennedy Park Resort Napier Master Sportsperson of the Year: Lance Baylis, powerlifting
Glenn Cook Technology Lifetime Contribution to Sport: Mike Trautvetter, rowing; Terry O’Neill, football
Rachael Knight Emerging Talent: Emma Findlay, hockey
EIT Te Pūkenga Junior Team of the Year: Taradale High School golf
Tremains Senior Team of the Year: Hawke’s Bay Tui rugby
Paladin Disabled Sportsperson of the Year: Peter Cowan, canoe racing
Mediaworks Senior Sportsperson of the Year: Emma Twigg, rowing
Forsyth Barr Hawke’s Bay Supreme Award: Emma Twigg, rowing