Michelle Hyslop
It may still be summer, but the Halberg Awards were all about snow sports, with our first-ever Winter Olympic gold medallist, snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, taking out the supreme trophy as well as Sportswoman of the Year at the event at Auckland’s Spark Arena.
Sportsman of the Year went to skier Nico Porteous, who also won gold at the Games in Beijing in 2022, but because neither of them were able to attend due to sporting commitments, the red carpet definitely belonged to the triumphant Black Ferns, who won Team of the Year and Favourite Sporting Moment for their Rugby World Cup victory on home turf.
Halberg winners Zoi and Nico
Sarah Hirini, who also picked up the Leadership Award, told Woman’s Day, “It was one of the highlights of my career. We’ve had a lot of success, but being in New Zealand, it was a very different feeling. It’s changed women’s sport forever. The momentum has started and it’s only going to build.”
Sarah Hirini
Her teammate Ruby Tui agrees, saying, “There’s a whole lot of us who have been trying to do this for the past decade and we’re so grateful for everyone in the country who jumped on board with us – that’s why we do the mahi.”
Olympic bronze medallist Eliza McCartney, former heptathlete Sarah Cowley Ross and Black Ferns babe Ruby Tui are as glamorous as they are talented!
Black Ferns co-captain Ruahei Demant adds, “It’s been a long time coming. We were just the lucky ones to be here right when we started to get the exposure and the resources. But it’s still so overwhelming and unexpected – we’re used to nobody knowing who we are or what we do!”
Ruahei Demant
Their former coach Wayne Smith, who led the team to victory, took home the Coach of the Year trophy. He tells us, “It wasn’t something I was looking for. It had been 25 years since I’d had anything to do with women’s rugby, so I was apprehensive. But rugby’s a game and games are supposed to be fun, so we decided to have some fun. They’re fantastic women – wāhine toa – and it’s probably the greatest adventure of my life.”
Black Ferns coach Wayne was a winner.
