Hawke’s Bay Sport and Recreation Awards: Sport’s big night out

Hawke's Bay Secondary Schools Supreme Sports Award winner and golfer Zack Swanwick, now in the hunt for more honours at Saturday night's Hawke's Bay Sport and Recreation Awards.

It’ll be stand-ins all-round for one of the major awards at the Forsyth Barr Hawke’s Bay Sport and Recreation Awards on Saturday night with all four finalists in the category unable to be present in the Pettigrew Green Arena in Taradale.

Sport Hawke’s Bay general manager Ryan Hambleton said that, of the four up for Senior Sportsperson of the Year Award, rowers Emma Twigg and Tom Mackintosh and runner George Beamish were overseas and canoe racer Aimee Fisher had canoeing commitments.

They are also among the favourites for the Supreme Sports Award, which Twigg claimed in 2005 and again last year. Fisher won in 2016, 2018 and 2020.

The awards comprise 12 categories, with about 20 sports represented among the finalists, while rowing’s Mike Trautvetter and football’s Terry O’Neill will be recognised for lifetime contributions to sport.

Among the finalists are three winners from the Hawke’s Bay Secondary Schools Sports Awards held in Hastings on October 16.

They are headed by Male Sportsperson of the Year, Supreme Award winner and golfing prodigy Zack Swanwick and his Taradale High School team, the Team of the Year after becoming the first Hawke’s Bay school to win the national secondary schools golf title.

Swanwick is also eligible for the Supreme Sports Award.

The other is schools’ coach of the year. Napier Boys High School athletics mentor Bruce Smith, who has rivals from golf, canoe racing, hockey and trampolining, is also in pursuit of the major Coach of the Year title.

Champion swimmer Lewis Clareburt, of Wellington, will be a speaker at the awards ceremony, which has been booked out for several weeks, with 430 expected to be seated for the presentations starting at 7pm.

The winners at the secondary schools sports awards on October 16 were:

Tū Manawa Student Council Project of the Year: Taradale High School (Ki o rahi Tournament).

NZ Couriers Student Contribution to Sport: Alex Cave (Woodford House), tennis.

Jarrod Cunningham Youth Sports Trust Official of the Year: Alex Anderson (Napier Boys High School), football, futsal.

Mediaworks Service to Sport: Katie Geary (Hastings Girls High School), netball, rugby, cricket, softball, touch; Emma Jensen (Hastings Girls High School), rugby; Jo Lucus (Flaxmere College), volleyball, ki o rahi, lawn bowls, rugby; Philipp Otto (Napier Girls High School), sailing; Virginia Redwood (Karamu High School), netball, volleyball, badminton, tennis, basketball; Va’asili Uili-Va’asili (Havelock North High School), volleyball; Sue Wood (Woodford House), netball, hockey.

Kennedy Park Resort Napier Team of the Year: Taradale High School, golf.

Sporty.co.nz Coach of the Year: Bruce Smith (Napier Boys’ High School), athletics.

Paladin Disabled Sportsperson of the Year: Luis Douglas (Havelock North High School), athletics.

Stirling Sports Female Sportsperson of the Year: Graecyn Parahi (Napier Girls’ High School), basketball.

EIT Te Pūkenga Male Sportsperson of the Year: Zackary Swanwick (Taradale High School), golf.

Sport Hawke’s Bay Supreme Award: Zackary Swanwick (Taradale High School), golf.