Emma Twigg takes Supreme award at 2022 Forsyth Barr Hawke's Bay Sports Awards

Emma Twigg, pictured in February during her Halberg Awards' Sporting Moment of the Year triumph. On Saturday, she was named Supreme winner at the Hawke's Bay Sports Awards. Photo / Photosport

Tokyo Olympic gold-medal-winning rower Emma Twigg has been named winner of the Supreme Sport Award at the 2022 Forsyth Barr Hawke's Bay Sports Awards.

The announcement of her win came during the awards ceremony at the Pettigrew Green Arena, Taradale, on Saturday night.

With the intervention of Covid-19 in the usual annual cycle, normally held in May, the 2022 awards covered a period of about 18 months.

Twigg, a 35-year-old former Napier Girls' High School head prefect - who's based in Waikato but continued racing in Hawke's Bay Rowing Club colours at the national level - won the Women's Single Sculls at the 2014 World Championships, and the title of World Female Rower of the Year, but had to wait until last year to win at what was her fourth Olympic Games (the 2020 Olympics, held in 2021).

It was a win that was acclaimed by public vote as the Sports Moment of the Year at the national Halberg Awards in February, and in June, Twigg was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2022 Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours.

To get to the Supreme award, she had to first secure the Sportsperson of the Year title ahead of fellow finalists Tom Mackintosh, a member of the gold medal rowing eight, and World Champion canoe sprinter Aimee Fisher.

Also in line for the Supreme award were Masters Sportsperson of the Year Lance Bayliss; Junior Team of the Year, the Athletics Hawke's Bay Gisborne Men's Under 18 4x100m; Senior Team of the Year, New Zealand double sculls champions James Brott and Oscar Ruston; New Zealand canoe polo representative Hannah Hunt; and two-time Disabled Sportsperson of the Year, athlete, swimmer and golfer Guy Harrison.

The new Official of the Year is rugby referee Nick Hogan. Mark Ozich and Josh Syms were each recognised as Coach of the Year relating to Hawke's Bay Magpies performances in 2021. Triathlon Hawke's Bay was named Grassroots Club of the Year; the Volunteer of the Year was Wim Barendsen, from Canoe Polo; and the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union was named Sports Organisation of the Year.

Hockey veteran Shea McAleese became the latest inductee into the Hawke's Bay Sports Hall of Fame after a 17-year international career playing 320 games for the NZ Men's Black Sticks, including four Olympics outings, four Commonwealth Games' and four World Cup tournaments.

Rowing coach Doc McDonald and Newstalk ZB Hawke's Bay sport broadcaster Ross Holden are the latest recipients of the Glenn Cook Technology Lifetime Contribution to Sport. For over 70 years, McDonald has been involved with rowing across New Zealand, while Holden has been in broadcasting since joining Bay City Radio in 1985.

Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kahungunu claimed the Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated Activating Te Matau a Māui award for Te Putake, a project set up with the purpose of giving rangatahi Māori the opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity and aim to have more participation in sport within three kura in Te Matau a Maui.

The Community Initiative of the Year award was won by the Central Hawke's Bay District Council for Waka Tākaro, which was designed and built in June 2021 and is equipped with a range of everyday resources for children and adults to play, be active, and inspire their imagination.

Canoe polo player Meaghan Broad was named Supreme Award winner at the Hawke's Bay Secondary Schools Sports Awards on Thursday, having been named Female Sports Person of the Year. Also at the schools' awards, golfer Zack Swanwick was named Males Sportsperson of the year; Team of the Year was the Napier Boys' High School rugby 1st XV; and athletics and cross-country stalwart Sheila Smidt was named Coach of the Year.

Official of the Year went to football's Jewel Titter, and Harriet Lynch of Iona College was recognised for Student Contribution to Sport in hockey, swimming, cross-country, athletics and touch.