Te's off to the Rugby Oscars

Te Rangatira Waitokia's stunning 2016 Heartland season has been rewarded with a nomination for the Heartland Player of the Year gong at the 2016 Rugby Awards next week.

Steelform Wanganui's young tearaway back Te Rangatira Waitokia is heading to Auckland as the latest local player to be nominated for the Mitre 10 Heartland Championship Player of the Year award.

Waitokia will be joined by fellow nominees James Lash (Buller) and Willie Paia'aua (Horowhenua-Kapiti) at the 2016 ASB Rugby Awards, being held at Sky City Convention Centre on December 15.

Cover fullback then winger, the 20-year-old Waitokia was the top tryscorer in Heartland this year with 12 tries, and set up the opening try in the Meads Cup final victory over Lash's Buller team.

Lash was the top overall points scorer in the competition.

Winger Paia'aua, a former Manawatu Turbos player, was a standout in an underperforming Horowhenua-Kapiti side.

All three were selected for the New Zealand Heartland XV squad to play NZ Marist and then tour Fiji to face Nadi and Nadroga.

Previous Heartland Players of the Year from Wanganui were Cameron Crowley (2008), Asaeli Tikoirotuma (2009), Peter Rowe (2010 and 2012), Jon Smyth (2011) and Lindsay Horrocks (2015).

Others to be nominated were Denning Tyrell (2006), Mike Thompson (2007), Steelie Koro (2011) and Stephen Perofeta (2015).

The 2016 Rugby Awards will be broadcast on SKY Sport.