Disability Award Introduced & Nominations Being Sought for the Best of the Best of Rural Sports

The NZ Rural Sports Awards honour the best of our rural athletes, and now is the time for rural sports organisations to get their nominations in for the 2022 awards.
In its sixth year, the awards honour athletes and the volunteers and administrators who make their sports possible, from fields as varied as wood-chopping, shearing, horse-riding, tree-climbing, shooting, highland heavies, gumboot throwing and fencing.
Convenor of judges and Olympic medallist rower, Nathan Twaddle said this year; we are proud to announce a new award, the FuturePost Award for a Rural Sportsperson with a Disability.
“We want to ensure our awards are open to everyone. The new award will ensure those rural sports athletes with disabilities are recognised.”
Nathan Twaddle also welcomed Courtesy Ford as the new sponsor of the Lifetime Legacy Award.

  • The PTS Logistics New Zealand Rural Sportsman of the Year Award
  • The Skellerup New Zealand Rural Sportswoman of the Year Award
  • The Fonterra Young New Zealand Rural Sportsperson of the Year Award
  • The Levno Outstanding Contribution to New Zealand Rural Sports Award
  • The Courtesy Ford Lifetime Legacy Award
  • FuturePost Award for a Rural Sportsperson with a Disability

Two other awards will be announced on the night of the New Zealand Rural Sports Awards, they are the:

  • The Sir Brian Lochore Memorial Award for Outstanding Sportsperson from a Rural Background
  • *Finalists and the winner are announced on the night of the awards
  • The Supreme New Zealand Rural Sportsperson Award
  • *Judges select one overall winner to go home with the 2022 Supreme Award

Nominations close 4pm Monday 17 January 2022 and finalists will be announced in February 2022.

The Awards will be presented at a gala function at Awapuni Racecourse on Friday 10 March 2023, during the Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games Weekend in Palmerston North.

The awards will proceed only if Palmerston North is at Level One, if the level rises the date will be postponed.

Nominations can be made here.
Past winners can be viewed here.
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Disability Award Introduced & Nominations Being Sought for the Best of the Best of Rural Sports
Steve Hollander

Steve Hollander

Founder

Steve Hollander is the founder of the NZ Rural Games Trust and a key figure in promoting New Zealand’s rural sports and community. In 2013, his pioneering vision led to the creation of the Trust, which successfully launched flagship events including the NZ Rural Games, the Rural Sports Awards, Agri Futures, and Clash of The Colleges.

His entrepreneurial drive extends beyond events. He is also involved with Future Post, an innovative company that recycles plastic waste into durable fence posts. A Christchurch-born sports enthusiast with a degree in Physical Education from the University of Otago, Steve has played multiple sports at a premier club level and still enjoys cricket and a hit of golf on a Wednesday afternoon.  His favourite rural sport is wood chopping.  

After extensive international travel, he returned to New Zealand, where his experience in the travel industry evolved into a specialisation in event travel management for major sporting events. Along with his wife Karen, he is passionate about harness racing and has been breeding, owning and amateur driving horses for many years out of their lifestyle property north of Auckland.