Bay of Plenty athletes in running for top gong at 2019 Halberg Awards

New Zealand cricket captain Kane Williamson is in the running for Sportsman of the Year. Photo / File

Bay of Plenty athletes have featured prominently in this year's Halberg Awards.

The Halberg Foundation has announced 26 finalists for six categories at the 57th ISPS Handa Halberg Awards – New Zealand's pre-eminent event to celebrate and honour sporting achievements from 2019.

There are 17 finalists in the Sportswoman, Sportsman, Team and Para athlete/team categories are all eligible for the supreme Halberg Award – the country's highest accolade for sporting excellence.

These include Whakatāne's Lisa Carrington as a finalist for Sportswoman of the Year. In 2019, she claimed two world titles and was named the year's Sportswoman of the Year.

Blackcaps captain Kane Williamson, from Mount Maunganui, is a finalist for the Sportsman of the Year title and the Black Ferns Sevens are one of five teams up for the hotly contested category of Team of the Year.

Five outstanding coaches are in line for the Buddle Findlay Coach of the Year award including three-time winner Gordon Walker who supported Lisa Carrington and the NZ Sprint Kayak team to four world titles.

Noeline Taurua makes the finals after guiding the Silver Ferns to claim the Netball World Cup.

The winners will be announced at the 57th ISPS Handa Halberg Awards ceremony on February 13 at Spark Arena in Auckland and televised live.

Other awards presented during the ceremony include; New Zealand's Favourite Sporting Moment (public vote category), Sport New Zealand Leadership, Lifetime Achievement and inductees into the Sports Hall of Fame.

The Awards were created by Olympic champion Sir Murray Halberg (ONZ) in 1963 to honour sporting excellence and as a significant fundraiser for the Halberg Foundation – his charity which aims to enhance the lives of physically disabled young New Zealanders by enabling them to participate in sport and recreation.

57th ISPS Handa Halberg Awards finalists:

ISPS Handa Team of the Year (eligible for supreme Halberg Award)
Black Ferns Sevens (rugby)
BLACKCAPS (cricket)
Silver Ferns (netball)
Women's Eight (rowing)
Women's Double - Olivia Loe and Brooke Donoghue – (rowing)

ISPS Handa Para athlete/team of the Year (eligible for supreme Halberg Award)
Cameron Leslie (Para swimming, wheelchair rugby)
Emma Foy and Hannah van Kampen (Para cycling)
Lisa Adams (Para athletics)
Sophie Pascoe (Para swimming)

High-Performance Sport New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year (eligible for supreme Halberg Award)
Courtney Duncan (motorcycling)
Lisa Carrington (canoe racing)
Laura Langman (netball)
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (snowboarding)

ISPS Handa Sportsman of the Year (eligible for supreme Halberg Award)
Israel Adesanya (mixed martial arts)
Kane Williamson (cricket)
Scott McLaughlin (motorsport)
Tom Walsh (athletics)

Buddle Findlay Coach of the Year
Eugene Bareman (mixed martial arts)
Gary Hay (rowing)
Gordon Walker (canoe racing)
Noeline Taurua (netball)
Roly Crichton (Para swimming)
Sky Sport Emerging Talent
Alice Robinson (ski racing)
Erika Fairweather (swimming)
Laurence Pithie (cycling)
Seb Menzies and Blake McGlashan (yachting)