Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Editorial: Ritchie McCaw we love you

Kelly Makiha
Bay of Plenty Times·
19 Feb, 2016 05:30 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
New Zealander of the Year Ritchie McCaw.

New Zealander of the Year Ritchie McCaw.

I'm sure Louise Nicholas isn't feeling too upset she didn't walk away with the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year title on Wednesday night.

It was a foregone conclusion that Ritchie McCaw was going to win.

Taking nothing away from the finalists, McCaw stood head and shoulders above the others.

Twice he's brought the country together as a result of Rugby World Cup wins.

Kelly Makiha
Kelly Makiha
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He's been named the best rugby player in the world, been awarded the country's highest honour the Order of New Zealand, has been a role model to children, donated to charity, shown leadership skills like no other and to top it all off has his fixed-wing pilot's licence.

It's the kind of over-achieving that usually makes us a little nauseous but McCaw isn't arrogant or in love with himself.

He has never lost that shy and genuinely humble approach that we like to think is truly a Kiwi characteristic.

He said on television show Paul Henry yesterday he didn't expect to win.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He reckoned by looking through the list of finalists, that there were some pretty amazing people who did things like change the world.

He just played rugby.

It's that kind of modesty and humility we are used to seeing with McCaw.

Now that he's got this massive list of achievements under his belt, what next for him?

Discover more

Editorial: Mount donation needs thought

15 Feb 06:00 AM

Editorial: Leaders need to address wages

16 Feb 05:30 AM

Editorial: No easy fix for vagrant issue

17 Feb 05:30 AM

Editorial: Threats bad way to act on flag

22 Feb 05:30 AM

A life of doing what he loves, getting married, having a family and staying out of the public eye will probably be on the cards.

But as he prepares to bow out of the spotlight, I wonder if we will ever have a New Zealander adored as much as him?

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

‘Let's send him down to NZ’: Coromandel lodge with $6m-plus price tag woos rich foreigners

04 Jan 07:40 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Tauranga Lotto player wins $1 million

03 Jan 09:04 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Beyond the bookshelves: How independent bookstores keep turning the page

03 Jan 05:00 PM

Sponsored

The Bay’s secret advantage

07 Dec 09:54 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

‘Let's send him down to NZ’: Coromandel lodge with $6m-plus price tag woos rich foreigners
Bay of Plenty Times

‘Let's send him down to NZ’: Coromandel lodge with $6m-plus price tag woos rich foreigners

Trophy bach pitched to overseas buyers with country's "golden visa" on their mind.

04 Jan 07:40 AM
Tauranga Lotto player wins $1 million
Bay of Plenty Times

Tauranga Lotto player wins $1 million

03 Jan 09:04 PM
Beyond the bookshelves: How independent bookstores keep turning the page
Bay of Plenty Times

Beyond the bookshelves: How independent bookstores keep turning the page

03 Jan 05:00 PM


The Bay’s secret advantage
Sponsored

The Bay’s secret advantage

07 Dec 09:54 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP