Olympians Jorja Miller and Tom Walsh headline the list of finalists for the 2025 Trust Aoraki South Canterbury Sport and Recreation Awards, among many exceptional athletes and dedicated volunteers.

Following an exceptional year in South Canterbury sport and recreation, 50 nominations were received from more than 20 sporting codes for this year's awards.

“We are thrilled by the quality of nominations this year, with exceptional calibre across all award categories,” says Sport Canterbury South Canterbury Regional Manager Shaun Campbell. “This shows the depth of talented people in our region, making the judging process extremely challenging.

“This event is an opportunity for South Canterbury to come together and celebrate the collective achievements of everyone in our sport and recreation communities.”

Tickets for the highly anticipated awards evening are now available for purchase on the Sport Canterbury website.

Paris Gold medallist and 2024 Para Athlete Halberg Award winner Anna Grimaldi will be the evening's keynote speaker, which is taking place at the Caroline Bay Hall on May 16.

“We are very excited to have Anna join us for the event and hope the local community gets behind the awards, buying tickets for what should be a great night of celebration,” Campbell says.

Read more:

• Meet the Canterbury Sport and Rec Awards finalists
• Business and Sport team up

The finalists in each category of the awards are as follows:

Volunteer of the Year

• Anthony de Joux (Cricket)
• Jenni Guard (Archery)
• Susan King (Cycling)
• Chris McConnochie (Softball)
• Clare Palliser (Tennis)
• Renee Zotov (Squash)

Coach of the Year

• Simon Cooper and Liam Parker (Hockey)
• Anthony de Joux (Cricket)
• Nigel Walsh (Rugby)

Community Sport and Recreation Impact Award

• Elite Road Nationals 2025 - hosted by Cycling South Canterbury
• South Canterbury Roller Sports Club Inc
• South Canterbury Softball - Div2 South Island Secondary Schools Tournament
• Tennis South Canterbury – World Tennis Tour

Official of the Year

• Alison Collister (Swimming)
• Ben Grant (Hockey)
• Mark Swindells (Inline Speed Skating)
• Nyssa Willcocks (Gymnastics)

Masters Sportsperson of the Year

• Craig Domigan (Cycling)
• Wayne Doyle (Body Building)
• Amorangi Goldsmith (Touch)
• Tim Greenall (Hockey)

Outstanding Lifetime Achievement (not judged)

• Sean Fuller (Basketball)
• Vicki Skudder (Netball)

Para Athlete of the Year

• Lauren Blackmore (Athletics)
• Ellie Pillar (Karate)
• Finn Tregurtha-Nairn (Athletics)

Outstanding Youth in Sport

• Gracie Hellmrich (Ice Hockey)
• Camryn Linton (Ice Hockey)
• Jessica Ryall (Ice Hockey)
• Izzy Sharp (Cricket)

Sports Team of the Year

• South Canterbury Heartland Rugby Team
• South Canterbury Senior Men’s Cricket Team
• Timaru Boys’ High School 1^st XI Hockey Team

Sportsperson of the Year

• Lauren Bruce (Athletics)
• Xye Doyle (Ultra Marathon Running)
• Jorja Miller (Rugby)
• Rikki Swete (Olympic Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wrestling + Jiu-Jitsu)
• Tom Walsh (Athletics)

Article added: Wednesday, April 16, 2025