2026 Sports Awards Winners
Ford New Zealand Supreme Rural Sports Awards and the PTS Logistics New Zealand Rural Sportsman of the Year
Jack Jordan
Age: 29
Hometown: Taumaranui
Taumarunui’s Jack Jordan, 29, is not just a competitor in wood chopping; he is a defining champion of the sport on the global stage. A previous winner of both the PTS Logistics New Zealand Rural Sportsman of the Year and the Supreme Award, his 2025 campaign further cemented his legendary status by claiming the ultimate prize: the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Individual World Championship in Milan.
Jack is the first axeman in history to hold both the Individual World Trophy (which he won for the third consecutive year) and the Individual World Championship, in the same year.
This victory was a masterclass in precision and power. Competing against the national champions from 12 countries, Jack dominated the six-discipline event with a near-perfect score of 79 points. His performance included setting a New Zealand record in the Single Saw, showcasing the technical excellence that underpins his raw strength. He also contributed to the New Zealand Team’s fourth-place finish.
This 2025 world title adds to an almost unparalleled career resume. Jack has won 11 individual events and four with the NZ STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® team. His trajectory has been phenomenal since first representing New Zealand at age 14. He won his first world title at 17 and, at 18, became the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious Underhand World Championship at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
Now in his second decade representing the elite New Zealand Men’s team, which he made at just 16, Jack has consistently broken records, including his own world best time for the Stihl World Trophy in 2024.
From a teenage prodigy to the sport’s reigning global king, Jack Jordan embodies the pinnacle of rural sports achievement. His 2025 World Championship victory is a testament to sustained excellence, relentless dedication, and his status as one of New Zealand’s greatest-ever wood-chopping athletes.
RX Plastics New Zealand Rural Sportswoman of the Year
Steph Dryfhout
Hometown: Feilding (expat)
Bay of Plenty’s Steph Dryfhout, 30, has transcended the sport of competitive tree climbing, establishing herself as a global phenomenon and a reigning champion. A finalist for the RX Plastics New Zealand Rural Sportswoman of the Year, she is the defending Supreme and Sportswoman of the Year winner, and her 2025 campaign was a perfect demonstration of continued world domination.
Steph authored an unprecedented golden run across the international circuit. She began by winning the Asia-Pacific Championship in Australia, then travelled to Poland to place as the top non-European competitor at the European Championships. Her season culminated on home soil with a historic achievement: becoming the Women’s World Champion at the International Tree Climbing Championships in Christchurch – the first time the 50-year-old event has ever been held in New Zealand.
Domestically, her dominance was absolute. She successfully defended her New Zealand National Champion title, achieving the highest overall score against the entire field of both male and female competitors.
To reach these pinnacles, Steph had to qualify and triumph over the best national champions from across the globe, a testament to her unparalleled technical skill, strength, and composure under pressure. New Zealand is a world leader in arboricultural techniques, and Steph is its foremost ambassador.
Beyond her competitive brilliance, Steph is deeply committed to the industry’s future. She actively mentors emerging talent through formal programmes and is a key advocate for the growing Women in Trees movement, inspiring the next generation with her passion and expertise.
From Feilding to the peak of the world, Steph Dryfhout’s 2025 season cements her legacy. She is not just winning championships; she is elevating her sport, breaking barriers, and setting a new standard of excellence for rural athletes everywhere.
Fonterra Young New Zealand Rural Sportsperson of the Year Award
Wilson House
Age: 21
Hometown: West Melton, Canterbury
At just 21, Canterbury’s Wilson House has rocketed to the forefront of New Zealand harness racing. A finalist for the Fonterra Young New Zealand Rural Sportsperson of the Year, he combines a fierce work ethic with elite driving talent, securing his place among the nation’s best in a breakout 2025 season.
His year was defined by a “have horse, will travel” attitude. Driving in over 740 races nationwide, Wilson clinched his first New Zealand Junior Drivers Premiership with 94 wins and broke the $1 million prize money barrier. Most impressively, he finished third overall in the open National Drivers’ Premiership, outperforming seasoned veterans in only his fifth season of driving.
A key player in his father Michael’s powerful stable, Wilson is more than just a driver; he is a vital hand in training and logistics. His skill made him a sought-after freelance driver, notably piloting The Present Maker to six wins, including a maiden Listed race victory at Ashburton. His talent was recognised internationally with selection for New Zealand in the Australasian Young Drivers Championship.
Articulate, humble, and fiercely dedicated, Wilson is a premier ambassador for his sport. He competes weekly against legends like eight-time champion Blair Orange, holding his own through a combination of natural aptitude and relentless travel from one end of the country to the other.
Looking ahead, his goals are clear: to win more races and, one day, capture a coveted Group 1 title. With a grounded personality, enjoying time with family, friends, and his guitar, Wilson House represents the bright future of rural sport: supremely skilled, refreshingly modest, and driven to succeed at the highest level for years to come.
Permobil New Zealand Rural Sportsperson with a Disability Award
Danielle Aitchison – Para Olympian
Danielle Aitchison is a beacon of resilience and world-class excellence in Para athletics. Raised on a dairy farm in Patetonga, the Waikato sprinter’s remarkable story began with overcoming severe health challenges at birth, including cerebral palsy and significant hearing loss. Her sporting journey, which initially included ballet and netball, found its true calling on the track.
Competing in the T36 classification, Danielle has developed into a dominant force on the global stage. Her career is defined by relentless progression: a stunning international debut with a 200m silver medal at the 2019 World Championships, followed by double Paralympic glory with silver (200m) and bronze (100m) at the Tokyo 2020 Games. She has since ascended to the very top, capturing the 200m World Championship gold in 2023 and achieving the monumental sprint double by winning both the 100m and 200m T36 at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi. She also holds the world record for the 200m T36 event.
Beyond the medals, Danielle, who trains with the Hamilton City Hawks, represents the heart of rural New Zealand, determined, hard-working, and endlessly inspiring. Her journey from the Halberg Junior Games to the pinnacle of world athletics makes her a most deserving recipient of the Permobil New Zealand Rural Sportsperson with a Disability Award.
NZ Rural Sports Hall of Fame - inaugural inductee
Courtesy Ford Lifetime Legacy Award
John Fagan MBE – Fencing and Shearing
John Fagan is a true legend of New Zealand’s rural sports, having achieved historic excellence in both shearing and fencing. His competitive prowess is the stuff of folklore: a Golden Shears champion (1984), a 91-time Open shearing winner, and a former world record holder who was the first to ever shear 700 and 800 lambs in nine hours.
His legacy, however, extends far beyond his personal victories. John is a master builder of the sports themselves. He co-established the iconic NZ Shearing Championships (originally King Country Shears) and the globally recognised “Running of the Sheep” in Te Kuiti. His administrative leadership spanned decades, including chairing Shearing Sports NZ and the World Records Committee, and playing a key role in delivering the award-winning 2017 World Championships in Invercargill.
Parallel to this, he was a dominant competitive fencer, winning multiple national singles titles and serving for 20 years on the Fieldays Fencing committee. As a farmer, contractor, and innovator, he worked on product development and rural education, embodying the hands-on spirit of the land.
Honoured with an MBE and multiple life memberships, John’s influence has shaped institutions, inspired generations, and promoted New Zealand’s rural heritage on the world stage. Now retired and enjoying life at Waihi Beach, his half-century of monumental contribution cements his status as a deserving recipient of the Lifetime Legacy Award.
Sports Inc. Outstanding Contribution to NZ Rural Sports
Debbie White
Sports Inc. Outstanding Contribution to Rural Sports
Debbie White from Waiuku has been the strategic engine behind the growth and globalisation of competitive fencing in New Zealand for over a decade. As a key committee member of NZ Fencing Competitions (NZFC), she has fundamentally shaped the sport through her vision and organisational prowess.
Her most significant contribution is pioneering New Zealand’s place in a global fencing community. Debbie conceptualised and is driving the strategy to establish a World Fencing Championship at Fieldays. To build this vision, she has tirelessly fostered international relationships, most notably by helping establish the first handwork fencing competition in the United States and by negotiating reciprocal exchange programmes. Thanks to her work, winners of the Fieldays Silver Spades now compete overseas, while champions from the UK and US are hosted here, creating invaluable international bonds.
Domestically, Debbie’s legacy is equally profound. She was instrumental in establishing NZFC’s three-tier competition structure and in founding the annual South Island Regional Competition, ensuring the sport thrives nationally. She masterminds the major Fieldays fencing events, handling complex logistics, budgets, and sponsor relationships with exceptional skill.
Driven initially by a desire to support her husband Tony and the welcoming fencing community, Debbie has deployed her extensive experience in event management and governance to build a robust, internationally recognised framework for the sport. Her strategic mind, relentless dedication, and talent for building connections make her an outstanding and deserving recipient of this award.
Paul Harris – Shearing
For over 50 years, Paul Harris has been a cornerstone of New Zealand shearing sports. From his beginnings as a competitive senior-grade shearer in the 1970s to his current pivotal governance roles, his dedication has profoundly shaped the sport.
In 2025, Paul’s leadership was prominently displayed in two key areas: he chaired the critical Shearing Sports New Zealand constitutional review, and his extensive community service was recognised with a King’s Service Medal. His official roles are extensive and influential. He serves as Chairman of the Shearing Sports New Zealand South Island Committee and is the Chairman of the World Sheep Shearing Records Society, a role built on 17 years of experience judging record attempts across New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
As an active referee, he has officiated at countless South Island competitions and major events like the 2017 World Championships. His commitment regularly sees him travel hundreds of kilometres from his Amberley farm.
Beyond the shearing shed, Paul has served his community with equal distinction as Chief Fire Officer of the Waipara Volunteer Fire Brigade for 27 years, a role part of a remarkable 50-year fire service career.
Now 69, his future goals remain rooted in service: promoting young talent in the North Canterbury-Marlborough circuit, following his grandchildren’s pursuits, and simply staying fit enough to continue enjoying the competition community he has helped sustain for half a century. Paul Harris embodies the spirit of outstanding contribution through his unwavering stewardship of shearing sports and his local community.
Pat Coogan – Sheep Dog Trials
Pat Coogan’s contribution to New Zealand sheep dog trialling is a profound 50-year legacy of leadership, service, and unwavering dedication. His journey, which began as a young handler at the Kaitieke Collie Club, culminated in 2025 with his richly deserved Life Membership of the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association.
Pat’s leadership has shaped the sport at every level. From club president to a transformative seven-year term as National President, one of the longest in the association’s history, he has been a steady, visionary force. His tenure oversaw critical modernisation, including administrative restructuring and the digitalisation of the Stud Register, securing the sport’s future while honouring its traditions.
His influence extends globally, having managed the New Zealand Test Team for six years and judged multiple international series, proudly representing New Zealand’s excellence. At home, his decades of organising championships, mentoring handlers, and his recent seven-year role as a judge at the Rural Games have been invaluable.
Beyond the trial grounds, Pat is also renowned as the respected “one-eyed ref” in rugby, demonstrating the same integrity and commitment across communities. A farmer and contractor, he embodies the rural spirit he serves.
Pat Coogan’s legacy is not measured in trophies, but in the strengthened foundations of a sport he has tirelessly nurtured.
The Sir Brian Lochore Memorial Award for Outstanding Sportsperson from a Rural Background
Supported by Higgins Concrete
Geordie Beamish – Middle and Long Distance Runner
Geordie Beamish has etched his name in New Zealand sporting history as a champion of relentless determination and world-beating grit. Raised in the heart of Hawke’s Bay as part of a successful and innovative sixth-generation farming family, his connection to rural New Zealand runs deep.
Beamish has developed a global reputation for his dramatic, last-gasp racing style, earning the affectionate nickname “Textbook George”. This fighting spirit was never more evident than at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Overcoming a fall in his qualifying heat and being stamped on the head, he recovered to produce one of the greatest upsets in the sport’s history. In a stunning finish, he outsprinted the four-time reigning champion, Soufiane El Bakkali, to win gold in the 3000m steeplechase. This historic victory was New Zealand’s first-ever track gold at a World Athletics Championships.
His 2025 World Championship gold caps a remarkable ascent. Just a year earlier in 2024, he had captured the World Indoor 1500m title in Glasgow, proving his versatility and elite speed. These dual gold medals on the world stage underscore his status as a supreme competitor.
From the family farm to the pinnacle of global athletics, Geordie Beamish embodies the resilience, hard work, and excellence inherent to rural New Zealand. His journey makes him a worthy and inspirational recipient of the Sir Brian Lochore Memorial Award.
The Hydroflow Contribution to Rural Mental Health Award
Kathryn Wright – Te Anau
As an experienced beef and deer farmer and a registered counsellor, Kathryn Wright brings a rare and vital perspective to the critical field of rural mental health. For over 12 years, she has dedicated herself to researching, understanding, and advocating for the psychological well-being of rural communities – an area she identified as severely under-resourced and misunderstood.
Her journey began with a master’s degree focusing on why young rural men suffer in silence, research that has directly informed coronial findings and national policy discussions. Kathryn’s work is grounded in relatable, practical experience, allowing her to effectively support clients with issues from burnout and succession planning to mood disorders.
Now in the final stage of a pioneering PhD, Kathryn is investigating how farm-to-forestry conversions impact community connection and mental well-being in small rural towns. This research promises to inform both community funding and government land-use policy. She is also authoring a practical handbook on rural mental health in New Zealand.
Kathryn’s expertise is consistently sought by advisory panels, media, and organisations seeking better mental health outcomes. Her goal, to create tangible, realistic improvements, is being realised through her counselling, research, and advocacy. For her profound commitment to giving rural mental health a meaningful voice and evidence-based solutions, Kathryn Wright is the deserving inaugural recipient of this award.
