Massey to host NZ University Blues Awards

Massey University will host this year’s New Zealand University Blues Awards at its Wellington campus.

Earlier this year, University Sport New Zealand (USNZ) was forced to cancel the national event’s dinner and celebration because of resourcing issues. The New Zealand University Blues are awarded to student-athletes that have excelled both academically and in their sport. They have been awarded in New Zealand since 1919.

At the Massey University Blues Awards last night in Palmerston North, Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey announced that Massey would make sure the annual tradition continues.

“To ensure it goes ahead, Massey University has offered to host and cover the costs of the dinner,” he said. “For us, as New Zealand’s leading sports university, it seemed vital that the awards were held in a year in which so many university students excelled at the London Olympics.”

University Sport New Zealand spokesperson Cathy Robinson says the USNZ Board is excited that Massey had decided to pick up this important event to ensure that we celebrate our students’ achievements in 2012.

“We are delighted to be working with Massey to honour our successful student-athletes and to continue the long and proud tradition of the New Zealand Blues awards."

Blues recipients must be high achievers both academically and in their sport. As well as achieving international representation at the highest level, they must also pass at least one third of a full time course in the year of the award.

As well as the Blues, awards will be given to the Sportsperson of the Year and the Maori Sportsperson of the Year, who are judged to have been the “best of the best”.

The New Zealand University Blues Awards, in association with Massey University, will be held at the Massey University Wellington campus on December 6.