Recently retired Paddy O'Brien has been recognised for his contribution to rugby refereeing with a special award from Sport Minister Trevor Mallard.
Mallard presented the award to O'Brien at the launch of the Sport Canterbury Regional Officials Network in Christchurch tonight.
"Paddy is retiring at the top of his game
after more than 20 years of refereeing," Mallard said.
"He has made a huge contribution to rugby refereeing in New Zealand and throughout the world.
"He was one of New Zealand's first professional rugby referees and is the most capped with 37 tests to his name.
Mallard also announced the expansion of the Prime Minister's Scholarship programme to include sports officials.
New Zealand's top referees, umpires and judges will be eligible to apply for the scholarships valued up to $10,000 a year.
"This type of recognition for our top sports officials is well overdue. We have some very talented and highly rated international sports officials in New Zealand, such as Paddy O'Brien, and they deserve to be recognised and supported," Mallard said.
The scholarships had been reserved for athletes and coaches until now.
- NZPA
