Golden girl Dame Lisa Carrington presents her crewmate with a gold award

AUT’s vice chancellor Professor Damon Salesa (from left), Tara Vaughn and Dame Lisa Carrington.

Dame Lisa Carrington was at another awards ceremony – this time not as a recipient but to hand the gold to her K-4 teammate Tara Vaughan.

She is the first Auckland University of Technology student to ever win an Olympic gold medal and was presented with the university’s most prestigious sporting award by Carrington, at the 2024 AUT Blue Awards on Wednesday evening.

The AUT Blue Awards recognise AUT students who excel in their chosen sport or area of art, design and culture, while maintaining high academic standards. Forty-one AUT students were recognised for their outstanding contributions in disciplines spanning from wheelchair racing to filmmaking.

Olivi Brett (from left), Dame Lisa Carrington, Alicia Hoskin and Tara Vaughan from New Zealand celebrate winning gold in the women’s four final at the Paris Olympics. Photo / Photosport

But the highlight of the evening came when Carrington awarded her gold-medal winning K4 teammate Vaughan the AUT Female Athlete of the Year Award.

In accepting her award from New Zealand’s greatest-ever Olympian, Tara said: “I’m part of the K4 so I’m part of a team – it’s not just me out there doing it. I’ve got a whole bunch of people to thank who have helped me achieve what I’ve been able to achieve but I’d like to make a massive shout out to AUT, especially to Bruce Meyer. It’s really important for me to keep studying while we’re travelling and competing and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Bruce and the support of AUT.”

Carrington replied: “It’s so special to be here tonight, not as a recipient but to celebrate all the amazing people who are here doing awesome things – arts, sport and going to uni, because that’s hard.”

Brodie Miller (Ngāpuhi) was Male Athlete of the Year and Māori Athlete of the Year, Tyla Tuala awarded Creative Individual Performance of the Year, Helena Sanderson Athlete Scholar of the Year and Jaden Movold Junior Sportsperson of the Year.

AUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Damon Salesa said the 2024 Blue Awards was particularly significant following AUT’s role as the official university partner of the New Zealand Team competing at Paris 2024.