Te Arawa award winners announced

The Te Arawa award winners were announced at Te Puia tonight. Photo/File

The 2016 Te Arawa Awards ceremony were held tonight at Te Puia recognising and celebrating outstanding achievements within Te Arawa.

The awards showcased Te Arawa talent and acknowledged excellence in sport, cultural activities, service to the community, academia, and Te Arawa making positive contributions to whanau, hapu, iwi, and marae.

Two teams were acknowledged in the Te Arawa Rangatahi Team of the Year tonight. They were the Rotorua Girls High School premier netball team and the Waikite Kowhai U6's.

Awatea Leach was awarded Te Puhi o Te Arawa - Outstanding Rangatahi Achiever of the Year.

In the Te Arawa iwi awards the Te Arawa Healthy Marae Award went to Kearoa Marae and the Te Puia Te Arawa Roll of Honour Membership to Karena and Kasey Bird and Leona Kaye.

The Te Kotahitanga o Te Arawa (Te Arawa Fisheries) award recipients were:
- Rehua Selwyn
- Hinerauwhiri-Huia Winitana Paki
- Peter Waaka
- Jamie Clarke
- Kakuere Cleal
- Kahurangi Wallace-Mcleod

The Te Arawa Maori Sports Awards section featured strong recipients throughout all categories.

The Te Arawa Sports Awards winners were:

Service to Sports -Michael Sykes
Coach of the Year -Michael Sykes
Team of the Year - Rotorua Boys' High School 1st XV
Junior Sportswoman -Autumn-Rain Stephens
Junior Sportsman - Hayze Perham
Senior Sportswoman -Te Whaeoranga Smallman
Senior Sportsman -Tyson Sykes

The Rangatahi award section recognised the achievements of Te Arawa Rangatahi. There were large number of rangatahi nominated this year.

They were:
- Jacob Rapana
-Peter Waaka
-Matiu Phillips-Taura
- Turehu Hare-Herbert
- Whareporera Hare-Herbert
- Hiko o Te Rangi Curtis
- Lahaina Kiel
-Te Aowheoro Hohepa-Gardiner
- Mapuna Rio
-Te Paea Waetford-Heketa
- Miles Tapsell
- Dawson Smith
- Isaiah Massey
- Kahurangi Wallace-Mcleod
- Hinerauwhiri-Huia Winitana Paki
- Kakuere Cleal
- Tipene James
- Kyra Mita
- Jalen Massey
- Steven-Ray Sinnott
- Anahera Teinakore-Curtis
- Kahumako Rameka
- Te Huatahi Edmonds Rangitauira
- Awatea Leach
- Kaipo Brown
- Lionel Peipi
- Manaaki Te Kowhai
- Rangipo Wallace Ihakara
- Pirihira Pou
- Tristan Taute-Collier
- Siobahn Taute-Collier
- Te Rina West
- Mitchell Ngatai Smith
- Te Tuhiwhakaura o Te Rangi Wallace-Ihakara
- Reuben Te Kani-Taylor
- Rehua Selwyn
- Jamie Clarke

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