SPORTS AWARDS - Leslie honoured with Te Tai Tokerau's top award

Cameron Leslie received a standing ovation at Te Tai Tokerau's Maori Sports Awards in Waitangi on Friday evening as he was awarded the top prize ahead of able-bodied athletes.
Leslie also received a korowai (traditional cloak) and congratulations from Maori king Te Arikinui Kingi Tuheitia for his achievements in the swimming pool last year.
"It was great to have my achievements recognised for what they are and not seen as a disabled person achieving them," Leslie said.
The Ngapuhi athlete, who has affiliations to Te Parawhau and Te Uri Roroi, won a gold medal and broke a world record at the Paralympics in Beijing last year.
"It is the highest achievement I can get in sport and this is the first major prize I've ever won so it is a huge honour and an even bigger one to be presented the award by the Maori King," he said.
Ngati Hine Heath Trust's Kipa Munro said when the winner was announced there was a standing ovation.
"I don't think there was anyone in that room that would have disagreed with the decision," he said.
Munro said that Leslie has been associated with Northland's Maori Sport Awards from the very start.
"He started off as a junior and then progressed into the disabled awards category but it was Cameron himself who said `I don't want to be put in the disability category, I want to stand up on my own merits and be up against able-bodied athletes'," he said.
No disabled award was given at this year's ceremony, held at the Copthorne Hotel, because there were no nominations in the class.
Leslie also won the Open Maori Male Sportsperson of the Year Award, while the Open Maori Female Sportsperson was awarded to power-lifter Taari Murray.
The 2009 Sports Management Award went to Carol McClintock, while this year's recipient for the Outstanding Team Award went to the Aotearoa Te Houtaewa Waka Ama team of Riana King, Haley Tawha, April Warwick, Jiah Thomas and Korina Te Rore, who won a gold medal in last year's World Outrigger Championships in the under-16 W6 500m class.
Powerlifter Tohora Te Oneroa Harawira won the junior male sportsperson award while Waitangi golfer Phoebe Perrin won the junior female award. Sports administrator Ollie Batger won the Service to Sport Award.
The judges for the awards were all well known Maori sports personalities with Shelley Kitchen, Sid Going and Sharon Te Paa volunteering their time to sort through the nominees.
The King was accompanied at the awards by Tongan Crown Princess, Salote Pilolevu Tupou.
The awards will be hosted by a different Tai Tokerau iwi every year and Te Runanga o Ngapuhi will take up the mantle in 2010.