Waikanae's Oska Smith, who won gold in the beach sprint at the world surf lifesaving championships, was named winner of the Sportsman category at the Tairāwhiti Sports Awards. Photo by Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media.
Waikanae's Oska Smith, who won gold in the beach sprint at the world surf lifesaving championships, was named winner of the Sportsman category at the Tairāwhiti Sports Awards. Photo by Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media.
Oska Smith led a good night out for Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club members at the Tairawhiti Sports Awards.
Beach sprint specialist Smith won the 2024-25 Sportsman award on the back of an 18-month record that included sprint gold at the surf lifesaving world championships and the New Zealandnationals, and bronze at the Australian nationals.
The awards were back after a three-year break and covered the period from January 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
In a recorded acceptance speech shown at Friday night’s prizegiving, Smith gave “a huge thank-you” to Waikanae coach Arna Majstrovic, who had been his coach for much of his sporting career.
Majstrovic was also a winner on the night. She accepted the Wayne Callaghan Memorial Trophy – the Coach award – for her surf lifesaving coaching at Waikanae.
Presenting the award, Callaghan’s son Michael said coaches were the quiet architects of success. They showed up early and stayed late.
The other coach nominees – Midway’s Jack Gavin and Poverty Bay Kayak Club’s Liz Thompson – also represented aquatic sports.
Newly inducted Tairāwhiti Legend of Sport Liz Thompson (right) and Master Sportsperson Emily Gillies hold the trophies won by Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club members. Thompson holds her framed Legend of Sport citation and the sportsman trophy won by beach sprinter Oska Smith (and first won by Waikanae stalwart Barry McLean in 1969). Gillies holds the cup she received as Master Sportsperson and the Coach award won by Arna Majstrovic. Smith and Majstrovic spoke to the gathering by video recording.
Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club president and life member Thompson was inducted into the Tairawhiti Legends of Sport on Friday night for her record as a competitor and coach of surf lifesaving and kayaking.
The Waikanae club’s big night was completed when Emily Gillies won the award for Master Sportsperson. Success at the national and eastern regional surf lifesaving champs in masters’ events was backed up at the Australian nationals with silver in the board relay and top-six finishes in every other discipline in her age group.
Gillies said she was grateful to be in a sport that had been part of her life since she was 14, was excited by the growth in that sport and thankful for its amazing coaches.
