Ford New Zealand goes full throttle championing rural sports

NZ Rural Sports Awards

Ford New Zealand goes full throttle championing rural sports

Palmerston North is set to rumble with the power and excitement of rural sports this coming March, as Ford New Zealand takes pole position as the naming rights sponsor of the illustrious Ford New Zealand Rural Sports Awards!

The electrifying partnership builds on Ford’s four-year legacy as the title sponsor for the Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games – making Ford not just a brand but a cornerstone of rural New Zealand.

“We’re revved up to have Ford deepen its relationship through our events that celebrate and champion the titans of rural sports,” said the pioneering founder of the New Zealand Rural Games Trust, Steve Hollander.

Ford has been synonymous with rural New Zealand since 1936, and today, the Ford Ranger is the top-selling vehicle in the country.

New Pit Crew Member Alert

Paul Allison MNZM has been appointed the Convenor of Judges. He is no stranger to competing and judging. He represented New Zealand in the Marathon and Otago in three sports. A Life Trustee of the Halberg Disability Foundation, he has served on both Sport New Zealand and the NZ Masters Games boards.

Calling all rural athletes: Unleash your potential

Nominations are open to rural sports associations, including wood-chopping, shearing, horse-riding, tree-climbing, shooting, rodeo, harness racing, highland heavies, gumboot throwing and fencing. The award categories are:

  • The PTS Logistics New Zealand Rural Sportsman of the Year Award
  • The New Zealand Rural Sportswoman of the Year Award
  • The Fonterra Young New Zealand Rural Sportsperson of the Year Award
  • The Freebairn & Hehir Outstanding Contribution to New Zealand Rural Sports Award
  • The Courtesy Ford Lifetime Legacy Award
  • Future Post Rural Sportsperson with a Disability

Two other awards will be announced on the night; they are:

  • 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 Ford Supreme New Zealand Rural Sportsperson Award – judges select one overall winner to go home with the Supreme Award.

Save the date

The Awards will be presented at a sold-out gala function at Awapuni Racecourse on Friday, 8 March 2024, during the Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games Weekend in Palmerston North.

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Ford New Zealand goes full throttle championing 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.