Louisa Wall: Maori sports awards about excellence

The black-tie Maori Sports Awards, which continue to attract more than 1200 people at $135 a head, are being held at the Auckland Showgrounds tonight.

Black Sox captain Jarrad Martin, inspirational Bay of Plenty NPC captain Wayne Ormond, and ex-All Black strong man Kees Meeuws (now living and playing in France) are the finalists in the Senior Sportsman Te Tame-a-Tanenuiarangi category.

Indoor/beach volleyball exponent Marnie Grant, Tall Ferns captain Leanne Walker and tennis' Shelley Stephens are in contention for the Senior Sportswoman Hinehuone Award.
Other nominees include Paralympian and field athlete Peter Martin, netball umpire Josef Brown, Black Sox assistant coach Chubb Tangaroa, and the Maori All Blacks for the team award.

Inspired by the late Albie Pryor's vision of promoting and encouraging Maori athletes in their chosen sports, the awards were first held in 1991 at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia.

The awards patron is the Maori Queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, and their kaumatua is Henare Pryor, Albie Pryor's brother.

In addition to honouring the sporting achievements of Maori athletes, the awards help to highlight a Maori contribution in the development of a healthy and proud sporting nation.

They also provide a mechanism to make the connection between sporting excellence and academic excellence by offering educational scholarships.

The same principles employed in the pursuit of sporting excellence can be used to succeed in the classroom and elsewhere, if the principles employed in training and preparation are coupled with self-belief, commitment and dedication.

To complement the awards, a Tamariki Sports and Cultural Day was held this week, which embraces te reo and tikanga Maori.

This allows our Maori sporting heroes to interact with and to inspire our tamariki/children on the sports field and in the classroom.

It aims to encourage healthy lifestyles and provides a link for many initiatives focused on ensuring the safety of our children at home, in the playground, and on our roads.

In addition to the announcement of awards in 10 categories - such as administrator of the year; umpire/referee; sportsperson with a disability; coach; junior sportsman and woman; senior sportsman and woman; sports team; and the honouring of our world champions, Olympians and Paralympians - there is a Media Award, Sparc's Best Community Initiative Award and scholarships worth more than $20,000.

The theme for this year's event is Te Rongo-Tu-Taua a Maui - honouring Maori men champions.

The awards will honour past heroes such as Joseph Warbrick, Opai Asher, George Nepia and Tori Reid. Albie Pryor will also be officially inducted into the Maori Sports Hall of Fame.

To complement the festivities, living legends such as Pat Walsh, Sid Going, Waka Nathan, Maunga Emery, Mac Herewini, Bill Kini and Phillip Orchard will attend the event.

Past champions include Waimarama Taumaunu, Howie Tamati, Michael Campbell, Zinzan Brooke, Farah Palmer, Gina Webber, Dean Bell, Margaret Hiha and Eric Rush - and what a contribution these people are continuing to make in sport and within business, academia and our communities.

The awards will screen tomorrow on TVOne between 1.30pm and 3pm and on Maori Television from 6pm.

It will be a great time for all New Zealanders to share in the celebration of Maori achievement in sport and all that is superb about Maori culture, including performances by Sir Howard Morrison, Auckland cultural group Te Tira Hou, Whakatane High School's Super 12 kapa haka troupe and NZ Idol finalist Luke Whaanga.

* Louisa Wall is a former New Zealand netball and rugby representative