The Ford New Zealand Rural Sports Awards celebrated the very best of rural athleticism, with world champion tree climber Steph Dryfhout taking centre stage as the Ford Supreme New Zealand Rural Sportsperson. Steph’s outstanding achievements also earned her the RX
The finalists for the 2025 Ford New Zealand Rural Sports Awards have been announced. The awards celebrate the dedication, skill, and achievements of rural athletes, sports administrators, and coaches from across the country. Convenor of Judges Paul Allison MNZM highlighted
Nominations are now open for the Ford New Zealand Rural Sports Awards! Convenor of Judges, Paul Allison MNZM said the 2024 awards were his first and he was incredibly impressed by the calibre of nominees and professionalism of the awards.
The Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games celebrated its ninth year with splendid weather and an exceptional display of rural sportsmanship. Founder Steve Hollander expressed delight at the heightened level of competition across various events including timbersports, shearing, sheep dog
Preserving the legacy of our rural heritage for future generations
The self-confessed sports nut grew up on a South Otago Farm in a multi-generational New Zealand farming family.
Paul’s life has been immersed in sports – from a playing, administration and media perspective. An Otago representative in three sports, he represented New Zealand in marathon for eight years.
Paul established the Otago Sports Awards in 1990, developed the judging criteria and convened the judging panel for 17 years. He was also heavily involved in setting the criteria and convening the judging for the South Otago Sports Awards held biennially. He is the former chief executive of Sport Otago and Central Lakes Trust and served on the Sport New Zealand Board and the New Zealand Masters Games committee, among many others.
Since the Halberg Trust Emerging Talent Award was established, Paul has been a member of the Awards Judging panel and was awarded Life Trustee of the Halberg Disability Foundation.
Steve Hollander is the visionary behind the Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games, the Property Brokers Running of the Wools and the New Zealand Rural Sports Awards. A small landowner from Dairy Flat, Steve is the driving force behind the Games. He is dedicated to raising awareness of rural sports and athletes, helping to ensure farmers and their families have fun events to look forward to and celebrating New Zealand’s rural heritage while at the same time trying to close the rural urban divide.
Paul is the inaugural Toyota Lifetime Legacy Award winner at the New Zealand Rural Sports Awards Paul retired from competing in 2016 after a fall from a horse on his sheep and beef farm. Paul’s competition career spanned the 1990s to 2016. No one else has ever – or is likely to ever again – repeat the staggering number of wins and podium finishes he had through his 31-year competitive fencing career. He has under his belt 14 Wiremark Golden Pliers New Zealand National Singles Championship Titles, 12 Fieldays Silver Spades New Zealand National Doubles Championship Titles and two Patura World Power Fencing Champion Titles. In 2014 he was half of the first father and son (Jason) combination to win the Fieldays Silver Spades. Paul continues to help drive NZFC.
Born and raised on the family farm in Walton, she has developed her expertise in the sporting world as a netball player, coach, and mentor.
Ali has been part of the NZRG’s team since the inaugural event in Queenstown. A former coach of NZA, Magic, Northern Force, and provincial and age group teams, Ali is also an athlete, having reached the top level of netball in New Zealand and has a passion for helping people strive to achieve. Her career is comprehensive, fulfilling roles including the National Performance Director of Welsh Netball, Netball NZ selector, mentoring for Tania Dalton Foundation, and judge on the Bay Of Plenty Sports awards. Ali manages the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service and is a board member of the Adastra Foundation Trust and the Aquatic Survival Skills Trust in BOP.
Sign up to the New Zealand Rural Games e-newsletter for information updates about the Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Sports Awards.
