Norwood NZ Rural Sport awards entries open

Champion shearer Rowland Smith in action. He won the inaugural New Zealand Rural Sportsman of the Year.

New Zealand's premier celebration of rural sports athletes — the Norwood New Zealand Rural Sports Awards — is now accepting nominations.

There are five award categories:
• The Norwood New Zealand Rural Sportsman of the Year;
• The Skellerup New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year;
• The Fonterra Young New Zealand Rural Sportsperson of the Year;
• The Federated Farmers Contribution to the New Zealand Rural Sports Industry;
• The Toyota Lifetime Legacy Award.

The Norwood New Zealand Rural Sports Awards are run by the New Zealand Rural Games Trust.

Held at Awapuni in Palmerston North on Friday, March 9, 2018 it is New Zealand's premier celebration of rural sports athletes.

New Zealand Rural Games Trust chair Margaret Kouvelis says the awards are designed to raise the profile of traditional sports like wood chopping, shearing, tree climbing and sheepdog trials and also recognise the important role such sports play in our society.

"Our top rural sportspeople are among the best athletes in New Zealand," she says.

"Last year the inaugural winner of the Rural Sportsman of the Year, Rowland Smith, went on to break a world shearing record in England."

"We aim to showcase their talent, dedication and success at competing on the world stage in their chosen rural sporting discipline," she says.

"I would like to thank our naming sponsor Norwood for their support and the various rural sports associations and volunteers around the country for their tireless work staging events and promoting their sports."

Tim Myers, CB Norwood Distributors CEO, says many of our rural sports people are better known internationally than at home.

"Norwood is proud to be naming rights sponsor and sponsor of the Rural Sportsman of the Year award — we want to highlight the hard work and dedication of our rural athletes."

Nominations for the awards are made by rural sports associations from throughout Aotearoa.

Rural sports associations are invited to nominate athletes for the Norwood New Zealand Rural Sports Awards presented by the New Zealand Rural Games Trust together with strategic partner, Federated Farmers of New Zealand.

Nominees will be shortlisted by a judging panel chaired by former All Black captain and World Cup winning coach, Sir Brian Lochore, who is also a founding board member of the New Zealand Rural Games Trust.

The other judges are rural sports icon and president of Shearing Sports New Zealand Sir David Fagan, Olympic equestrian medallist Judy 'Tinks' Pottinger, MP for Taranaki-King Country Barbara Kuriger, founder and trustee of the Hilux New Zealand Rural Games Steve Hollander and respected agricultural journalists Craig 'Wiggy' Wiggins, Tony Leggett and Jamie Mackay, who will also MC the event.

The Awards Dinner is held the night before the Hilux New Zealand Rural Games where nominees and winners will be competing.

* Tickets to the Norwood New Zealand Rural Sports Awards dinner are now available. Register with Nicky Vallender at Event-It on 021 033 5605.