Hawke's Bay's world champion shearer John Kirkpatrick labels his sport as one of the least recognised around.
But the 46-year-old father of three and grandfather of three did his best to raise the code's profile when he captured the senior and supreme awards in front of a crowd of 490 at the 2017 Hawke's Bay Sports Awards function in Taradale's Pettigrew-Green Arena on Saturday night.
While Tamatea's Kirkpatrick is the second shearer to win the supreme award after Waipawa's Cam Ferguson in 2011 the fact Kirkpatrick is eligible for the masters category and he qualified as a finalist in an Olympic year made his feat more significant.
"I've got to thank my chiropractor [Melissa Vetter of Havelock North] and my family, particularly my wife Raylene who has picked me up during all the down times. It's because of them I was up on that stage tonight," Kirkpatrick said shortly after his second acceptance speech.
"You're right. Raylene could have been nominated for the coach award tonight."
When he won the individual title at the world shearing championships in Invercargill in February Kirkpatrick described it as the pinnacle of a 20-year career. When he combined with Invercargill's Nathan Stratford he won his third world teams title.
Next month Kirkpatrick, the father of former Magpie and two-time world age group rugby champion Daniel Kirkpatrick, will travel to the United Kingdom with fellow Bay shearer Rowland Smith to represent New Zealand in six tests.
"I'll see how the body is when I get back from there. But it would be good to try and win back-to-back world titles when the next world championships are staged in France in 2019," Kirkpatrick said.
"Just qualifying for Invercargill was a struggle. It was a long season because I was chasing competitions all the time."
When he isn't competing Kirkpatrick is running his own shearing business. He did eight hours before Saturday night's awards and was back on the board at 7am yesterday.
"I don't know when I'll have time to celebrate the awards. We still haven't celebrated the Invercargill successes properly yet," he added.
Kirkpatrick beat masters category winner, world champion waka ama paddler Roni Nuku, another world champion waka ama paddler and disabled category winner Amy Jane MacDonald, junior team category winners, the Hastings Boys' High School 1st XV rugby side, senior team winners, the Hawke's Bay Hawkeyes Superstock team, and Olympic Games cyclist and junior category winner Regan Gough for the supreme award.
Former Paralympic swimmer Duane Kale, the 1996 winner of the supreme award, and former All Whites soccer goalkeeper, Mark Paston, the 2003 supreme award winner became the first Hawke's Bay Sports Hall of Fame inductees since 2013.
Black Sticks hockey defender/midfielder Shea McAleese, who won New Zealand Hockey's male player of the year award earlier this month, became the second winner of the annual People's Choice Award.
"2016 was a really good year for me. I improve with age," 32-year-old McAleese quipped via video link.
Hawke's Bay Netball won the Sports Organisation of the Year award for the fourth consecutive year. During her acceptance speech board member Chris McIntyre said her code had a fantastic board.
"If the Hawke's Bay Rugby Football Union wants some tips we would be happy to help out," she quipped referring to the turbulent times the union is experiencing in the wake of four resignations this month.
Kohupatiki Marae, one of 64 throughout Hawke's Bay and one of the smallest, won the MaraeFit Award. This award is aimed at encouraging Maori participation in events, physical activities and workshops, connecting whanau to marae through sport and recreation and encouraging organisations to value cultural uniqueness in their events.
IronMaori pipped Kohupatiki Marae and the Heretaunga Ararau O Ngati Kahhungunu Waka Ama club for the Contribution to Increasing Maori Participation award. Ironmaori organiser Heather Skipworth described her kaupapa as "the biggest Maori lycra party in the community".
"We didn't get this award over the other two finalists ... we won it with you," she added.