Black Ferns Sevens star, Jorja Miller, has been named the region’s best sportsperson for the second consecutive year at the 2025 Trust Aoraki South Canterbury Sport and Recreation Awards.

At Friday night’s awards ceremony at Caroline Bay Hall, Miller was honoured for another exceptional year in which she claimed Olympic Gold in Paris and was named World Sevens Player of the Year and the 2024 Kelvin R Tremain Memorial New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year. She was also inducted into the Timaru District Council’s Hall of Fame.

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• South Canterbury's best in sport and recreation

Miller edged out hammer thrower Lauren Bruce, ultra-marathoner Xye Doyle, wrestler Rikkie Swete and 2025 Indoor World Champion shot putter, Tom Walsh, to claim the prestigious Trust Aoraki Sportsperson of the Year Award.

White Fern, Izzy Sharp, received the ASPECT Trust Outstanding Youth in Sport Award, which had the highest number of nominations of any category.

New Zealand Karate representative, Ellie Pillar, was named Para Athlete of the Year.

The Timaru Boys’ High School 1st XI Hockey side was named XCM Team of the Year ahead of the South Canterbury Senior Rugby and Cricket Men’s teams.

Heartland Rugby coach Nigel Walsh was named the Mackenzie District Council Coach of the Year.

Other winners on the night included touch player Amorangi Goldsmith, who won the Workplace First Aid Training Masters Sportsperson of the Year Award, and hockey’s Ben Grant was the Waimate District Council Official of the Year, recognising his achievements at international and local levels.

“We were thrilled by the quality of nominations this year and Jorja Miller’s back-to-back win as Sportsperson of the Year on the heels of Olympic gold and national honours highlights the world-class talent emerging from our region,” says Shaun Campbell, Sport Canterbury South Canterbury’s Regional Manager.

“This event is about more than just awards - it’s a celebration of the dedication, teamwork and community spirit driving sport and recreation in South Canterbury.

“Every nominee and winner tonight has represented the passion and perseverance that make this region so special.”

Meanwhile, the latest Sporting Legend of South Canterbury inductee is former White Fern Haidee Tiffen. Born in Timaru, Tiffen rose from a standout student and Head Girl at Timaru Girls’ High School to one of New Zealand’s most respected cricketers.

Sport Canterbury’s Maria Lankeshwar, a former White Ferns and Timaru Girls’ High teammate, describes Tiffen as a true leader.
“Even in high school, she was dominating individually but also as a leader,” says Lankeshwar.

“She knew when to be serious, when to put your head down and do what the team needed, but also when to lift people.”

Tiffen joins Colin Hawke and June Leslie as the most recent Sporting Legends of South Canterbury inductees.

South Canterbury Sport and Recreation Awards winners

• Trust Aoraki Sportsperson of the Year: Jorja Miller (Rugby)
• XCM Sports Team of the Year: Timaru Boys’ High School 1st XI Hockey
• ASPECT Trust Outstanding Youth in Sport: Izzy Sharp (Cricket)
• Sport Canterbury Para Athlete of the Year: Ellie Pillar (Karate)
• Timaru District Council Outstanding Lifetime Achievement: Sean Fuller (Basketball) and Vicki Skudder (Netball)
• Mackenzie District Council Coach of the Year: Nigel Walsh (Rugby)
• Workplace First Aid Training Masters Sportsperson of the Year: Amorangi Goldsmith (Touch)
• Waimate District Council Official of the Year: Ben Grant (Hockey)
• Sporting Legend of South Canterbury: Haidee Tiffen (Cricket)
• Lincoln University Community Sport and Recreation Impact Award: World Tennis Tour – Tennis South Canterbury
• The Breeze Volunteer of the Year: Ants de Joux (Cricket).

Article added: Tuesday, May 20, 2025