The New Zealand Women’s K4 won the prestigious Team of the Year at 62nd ISPS Handa Halberg Awards ceremony, held last night in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, while Canoe Racing NZ’s lead women’s Coach Gordon Walker took home the Buddle Findley Coach of the Year for an unprecedented sixth time.
The New Zealand Women’s K4 sprint kayak crew of Dame Lisa Carrington, Alicia Hoskin, Olivia Brett, and Tara Vaughan achieved a historic milestone in 2024 by becoming the first-ever non-European crew to win Olympic gold. It was also the first time a New Zealand Women’s K4 had medaled at an Olympic Games. They were up against some top competition in the ISPS Handa Team of the Year award category with the Black Ferns Sevens, Emirates Team New Zealand, gold medallist rowers Lucy Spoors and Brooke Francis and ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Winners White Ferns amongst this year’s finalists.
Renowned sprint kayak coach Gordon Walker added another accolade to his impressive career, taking home the Buddle Findlay Coach of the Year title for the sixth time. Gordon is the CRNZ Lead Women’s Coach in charge of the NZ women’s kayak team that won 3 gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the K1, K2 and K4 events. Other coaches named as finalists this year were Canoe Slalom’s Aaron Osborne, Black Ferns Sevens Coach Cory Sweeney, gold medal winning high jumper Hamish Kerr’s coach James Sandilands and track cycling’s Jon Andrews.
Previously Walker has won Coach of the year for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2023, as well as Coach of the Decade in 2020.
In other awards of the evening, golfer Dame Lydia Ko beat out an incredible field of Sportswoman of the Year finalists including Dame Lisa Carrington, to take home the title. Ko then took home the Supreme Halberg award. Hamish Kerr (high jump) was awarded the Sportsman of the Year and Anna Grimaldi (Athletics) was recognised as the Para Athlete of the Year.
Finn Butcher, who memorably won gold in Paris in the Kayak Cross event, won the publicly-voted Favourite Sports Moment of the Year for the emotional tribute he gave to his father following his gold medal victory.
Full List of Winners – 62nd ISPS Handa Halberg Awards:
- Supreme Halberg Award: Dame Lydia Ko (golf)
- Sportswoman of the Year: Dame Lydia Ko (golf)
- ISPS Handa Sportsman of the Year: Hamish Kerr (athletics – high jump)
- ISPS Handa Para Athlete of the Year: Anna Grimaldi (Para athletics)
- ISPS Handa Team of the Year: Women’s K4 Sprint Kayak Crew (canoe racing)
- Buddle Findlay Coach of the Year: Gordon Walker (canoe racing)
- Sky Sport Emerging Talent: Tyler Bindon (football)
- Sport New Zealand Leadership Award: Marcus Daniell (tennis)
- Sir Murray Halberg Legacy Award in partnership with CityFitness : Michael Hynard
The 62nd ISPS Handa Halberg Awards once again showcased the extraordinary talent and dedication of New Zealand’s sporting community, celebrating achievements that continue to inspire and unite the nation.
