Awards celebrate rural sports talent
At a gala evening held at Palmerston North in March, the sporting and rural communities came together to celebrate the Ford New Zealand Rural Sports Awards.
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 partnership builds on Ford’s four-year legacy as the title sponsor for the Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games. Other companies joining as sponsors include Freebairn & Hehir Lawyers, Hunting & Fishing and Rural News.
“We’re revved up to have Ford deepen its relationship through our events that celebrate and champion the titans of rural sports,” said the 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.”
Ford New Zealand Managing Director Simon Rutherford said he didn’t hesitate to jump at the opportunity to accelerate their collaboration with rural sport.
“The Ford New Zealand Rural Sports Awards is the perfect platform to honour extraordinary athletes who have represented New Zealand on the world stage. The awards also highlight the dedication of the unsung heroes who work behind the scenes, keeping our rich rural sporting heritage alive.”
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.
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2023 Rural Sportswoman of the Year Megan Whitehead. |
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:
Two other awards will be announced on the night; they are:
Nominations close on 23 January 2024, and finalists will be announced in February 2024. Nominations can be made here.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
From 1 October, new livestock movement restrictions will be introduced in parts of Central Otago dealing with infected possums spreading bovine TB to livestock.
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