Northlander Cameron Leslie has capped off a memorable year by winning the 2016 Te Toihuarewa Māori Sportsperson With a Disability award.
Leslie, of Ngāpuhi descent, won the award after a year where he broke his own SM4 150m Individual Medley record twice and took out the gold medal in the same event at the Rio Paralympics.
He won the Paralympic final in 2:23.12, more than two and a half seconds quicker than his previous mark.
In his acceptance speech, Leslie paid homage to fellow nominees and Paralympic medallists Holly Robertson and Northland's Emma Foy as well as his family.
"Firstly I'd like to recognise the efforts of Holly and Emma. Winning a medal is tough and it's something you should be extremely proud of, no matter what the colour is," he said.