AUCKLAND — Issued By Triathlon NZ Chief Executive Officer Dave Beeche “Triathlon New Zealand congratulates Rebecca Spence and Samantha Warriner on their success at the 2006 Halberg Awards. “Double World Junior Duathlon Champion Rebecca Spence is well-deserving of the Emerging Talent award due to the huge achievements she has made at such a young age.
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AUCKLAND — Vodafone Warriors fans are being encouraged to make more noise in the 2007 season with a search launched today to find the official team supporters' chant. Vodafone One Tribe today laid a challenge to fans with the launch of Vodafone One Tribe Your Chant - a competition asking the public to develop a supportive chant for the boys.
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AUCKLAND CITY — It’s all on at SKYCITY with less than a month to go until the beginning of Auckland Cup Week and New Zealand’s biggest horse racing event of the year - the SKYCITY Auckland Cup on 7 March! The 328m high Sky Tower will be glowing green and purple from Thursday 1 to Wednesday 7 March to match the official colours of Ellerslie Racing, home of the SKYCITY Auckland Cup race, and there will be plenty of activities at SKYCITY prior to and during Auckland Cup Week. Big screens throughout SKYCITY will be showing all events during Cup Week for racing fans that can’t make it to Ellerslie and the magnificent silver Auckland Cup trophy will be onsite from 25 February to 1 March.
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AUCKLAND — The famed Auckland Stars are to commence their 2007 National Basketball League (NBL) season under a new name. The hoop-shooting maestros, who have carried-off seven of the past eleven national championships, will now be known as the Youthtown Stars.
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Cycling the length of New Zealand to promote a strategy to build resiliency in New Zealand young people. Eight cyclists will ride into Tauranga's CBD from Bluff on 28th of Febuary at 3:30pm, to promote the Circle of Courage Model as a way for New Zealand communities to build positive relationships with their young people and reduce at risk behaviour.
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Looking for some crazy high flying antics, then check out the Jim Beam FMX Tour. These high octane FMX riders will be performing for free, in Palmerton North, Christchurch, Nelson, Wellington and Dunedin.
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WHANGANUI — The cream of New Zealand’s motorcycle road racers will descend on Paeroa this weekend Feb 17/18 for the Yamaha "Battle of the Streets" event. Current Superbike Champion, Hamilton’s Andrew Stroud (Suzuki) leads both the Formula One and the Robert Holden Memorial series after a hard fought battle at Wanganui on Boxing Day.
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WHANGANUI — Fresh from their four-week break from the SsangYong New Zealand Superbike Road Race Championship, Wanganui based Bernard Racing Yamaha is setting off for round two of the "Battle of the Streets" at Paeroa this weekend February 17/18. The Team will be short of one of its Australian "Young Guns", as Scott Charlton has had to remain in Australia to fulfill his Australian commitments.
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The world’s top female tennis player, Maria Sharapova of Russia, today became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with a special focus on helping with the recovery efforts after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. “One of my proudest contracts ever,†said Ms.
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Below aret the team lists for the 2007 National Bank Cup. The only addition to last week’s lists – Erin McDuff has been named in the Flames side.
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WELLINGTON — Go By Bike – It's Carbon Neutral Thousands of Wellingtonians are bucking a national trend and getting on their bikes. “In 1996, 1.
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World Champion Rower Mahe Drysdale took the supreme award at tonights 56th Halberg awards to recognise outstanding sports achievement by New Zealanders at Sky City in Auckland. Drysdale also took out the Westpac Sportsmanof the year award earlier in the night before edging out Commonwealth Gold Medalist Valeri Villi, who won Sportswoman, and the All Blacks, who won Sports Team.
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New Zealand sport stars will be dressed their best at tonights Halberg Awards at Aucklands Sky City, Tonights Finalistis are: Sportsman of the Year Moss Burmester (swimming), Kalon Dobbin (speed skating), Mahe Drysdale (rowing), Richie McCaw (rugby), Nick Willis (athletics) Sportswoman of the Year Hannah McLean (swimming), Farah Palmer (rugby), Valerie Vili (athletics), Sam Warriner (triathlon) Sports Team of the Year All Blacks (rugby), Black Ferns (rugby), Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams (yachting), Silver Ferns (netball) Coach of the Year Ruth Aitken (netball), Graham Henry (rugby), Richard Tonks (rowing), Jan Cameron (swimming), Kirsten Hellier (athletics) The supreme trophy, the Halberg Award, will be chosen from one of the above. The awards are live on TV One from 8.
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PALMERSTON NORTH — Visiting American snowmobiling freestyler Justin Hoyer will attempt to break the world record for the longest backflip on a snowmobile in Palmerston North this Saturday, despite having been injured making the attempt earlier this week. Crusty Demons promoter Mike Porra said Hoyer had been given the all clear to ride in Saturday’s Crusty Demons show at the Arena Manawatu in Palmerston North, after crashing badly during a warm up jump at the Dunedin show last Saturday night.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Eden Park Trust Board Chief Executive John Alexander says he’s not prepared to comment on the current speculation around the redevelopment of Eden Park for Rugby World Cup 2011. “The Eden Park Trust Board is continuing to work with the Ministry of Economic Development on the Government’s review.
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NORTH SHORE CITY — Takapuna, Auckland – Sport and Recreation Minister, Trevor Mallard today launched PlayGym, a movement philosophy from GymSports New Zealand, to assist in the brain and body development of children under 5 years. The PlayGym initiative is aimed at growing healthy, active and social adults.
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AUCKLAND — The Games are coming to Auckland for Go by Bike week (24 February- 4 March). Staff at URS’s Auckland office will team up with colleagues from other work groups and bike a 2km circuit on a tandem bike to promote more climate-friendly forms of transport.
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Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, today became a sponsor of one of the world's biggest sporting events in an agreement making it Official Airline of Rugby World Cup 2007 in France. This agreement, signed between Emirates and the Rugby World Cup Limited, sees Emirates extend its sport sponsorship portfolio even further, making it one of the largest and most impressive in the world.
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HAMILTON — The competition for the coveted title of New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year is hotting up after the running of the eighth race in the Series, the Group 2 Sir Tristram Fillies Classic (2000m), held at Te Rapa racecourse on Saturday. Starting fourth favourite, jockey Jim Collett was content to sit near last on Veloce Bella (Volksraad x Wave to Lottie) before sweeping around most of the field, followed by favourite, Princess Coup (Encosta de Lago x Stoneyfell Road), before the home turn.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Auckland City Council plans a festival atmosphere around the 2007 World Netball Championships with plenty of opportunity for Aucklanders to mix and mingle with players and watch the games for free on a big screen in a special CBD entertainment hub. The council's Economic Development and Sustainable Business Committee has endorsed a $335,000 package that will support Netball New Zealand's hosting the championships.
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MANUKAU CITY — Standout preformances by New Zealand Bloodstock graduates over the weekend, saw Group one successes on both sides of the Tasman. At Waikato Racing Club's premier meeting at Te Rapa racecourse on Saturday, top jockey Opie Bosson celebrated by picking up both Group One races.
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Two years after being sidelined with a torn tendon in his right shoulder, State Northern Knights opening bowler Daryl Tuffey has been included in the BLACKCAPS squad of 15 to compete in the World Cup in the West Indies in March and April. The right-arm out-swing bowler has also been included in the 13-man squad for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series against Australia which starts in Wellington on Friday.
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NORTH SHORE CITY — We've got four dump trucks full of snow (don’t ask us how, but we got it!). We've got some of NZ's top Snowboarders and Skiers competing for thousands of dollars worth of prizes.
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PALMERSTON NORTH — The makers of one of Mäori Television’s most successful programmes, School of Hard Knocks, have returned to Massey University’s Palmerston North campus to produce a second series. School of Hard Knocks follows the progress of three promising young Mäori rugby players as they participate in the International Rugby Academy’s annual high-performance players course at the Sport and Rugby Institute.
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The New Zealand Elite Womens and Womens Colts Underwater Hockey Teams were named on Monday following a four day trial in Rotorua. The teams will compete against Australia in the Transtasman Championships, to be held in Christchurch in April.
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HAMILTON — The Classic Rally Team of John Kershaw and Jane Buckman, who will drive their 1976 Vauxhall Chevette, was the first of over a dozen entries already received by organisers for the Dunlop Rallyfeste, which will celebrate four decades of New Zealand Rallying. Organising committee chairman Laurie Brenssell commented “It was not surprising to see that John and Jane were first on the list of entrants for the Rally section of the Rallyfeste celebration, they are passionate rally fans, and great supporters of the sportâ€Â.
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England’s netballers will have an opportunity to test their progress against the world’s current top two nations, New Zealand and Australia, in an international test series at home in May 2007. This series provides a key competitive opportunity for all three nations ahead of the World Netball Championships, which have been shifted to New Zealand in November 2007, following the recent military coup in Fiji.
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CHRISTCHURCH — In a bid to get Christchurch residents more involved in cycling, Christchurch City Council, University of Canterbury and Turners Auctions have teamed up and will hold the inaugural Turners Big Bike Auction on Saturday 3 March at the university. Members of the public interested in selling bikes can drop them off at Turners Auctions on Lowther Street in Sockburn or at 15 Lester Street in the city.
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MANUKAU CITY — Following the announcement in early January that Bloomsbury Stud's New Zealand operation is to be sold, Henrietta, Duchess of Bedford has confirmed that an Unreserved Dispersal Sale of the mares, weanlings and some racehorses will be held by New Zealand Bloodstock at its Karaka sales complex in May. New Zealand Bloodstock Marketing Manager Petrea Vela confirmed that the date set for the Sale is Monday, 7 May, following the National Weanling Sale on Sunday, 6 May.
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TIMARU — Stuart Lush (McRae GM1) took the battle to defending series champion Ian Clements (Lola T332) at the second round of the 2006/07 F5000 Tasman Cup revival Series at Pukekohe's Pukekohe Park Raceway late last month. And the Auckland man is all set to do the same at the third round at the Placemakers Classic and Historic motor race meeting at Timaru's Timaru International Motor Raceway this weekend.
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AUCKLAND CITY — New Zealand Academy of Sport North (NZAS North) has organised a powerful line-up of international speakers at this year’s Performance Forum in Ellerslie on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th February. Speakers include Horst Wein, one of the world’s foremost mentors of soccer coaches and coach of the Olympic silver medal winning Spanish hockey team and Dr Peter Davis, who has directed sport science and medicine for Olympic programmes in the US, Australia and Canada, as well as advising high performance coaches in over 20 countries.
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TWIZEL — One of New Zealand’s oldest sporting events promises a classic battle between two great athletes. The BankLink New Zealand Rowing Championships – an event which can trace its origins back to 1887 - take place at Lake Ruantaniwha near Twizel between February 20th and 24th and promise a potentially classic race between the world’s fastest single sculler and a young pretender to his throne.
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Shelley Mcmeeken, Netball New Zealand Chief Executive Steps Down After Seven Years Of Exciting Growth Netball New Zealand Chair Don Mackinnon announced today the NNZ Board had reluctantly accepted the resignation of Shelley McMeeken from her role as NNZ Chief Executive. “Shelley joined us seven years ago just after the 1999 World Netball Championships.
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Speech at launch of PlayGym, Takapuna Kindergarten Thank you for inviting me here today. It is always refreshing to be able to spend time with our youngest New Zealanders.
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Sport and Recreation Minister Trevor Mallard today launched PlayGym, a resource aimed at keeping kids active, during a launch at Takapuna Kindergarten in Auckland. Gymsports New Zealand's PlayGym resource is a set of activity cards developed to provide simple and effective ways for caregivers, parents, educators and others to provide activity opportunities for two to seven year olds.
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HASTINGS — The dash across narrow bridges in 100km/h traffic is a common concern among Hawke’s Bay cyclists, but on Go By Bike Day (February 28) cyclists will be top priority. Transit staff will be stationed at each bridge leading into Hastings with appropriate signage to warn traffic about cyclists ahead.
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Fresh from the record-breaking results of the 81st National Yearling Sales Series at Karaka, there is still one opportunity left to secure yearlings in New Zealand with catalogues for the inaugural Karaka Carnival Sale now available. The one-day Karaka Carnival Sale, scheduled for Friday 9 March, is New Zealand Bloodstock's newest addition to its sales calendar and is set to add an exciting extra dimension to the Auckland Racing Club's March Carnival.
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CANTERBURY — Mt Hutt is to open to the public on Sunday February 18th for sightseeing and mountain biking as a fundraiser for charity. The Methven Lions Summer Open Day will be the first time the Mt Hutt ski area has been opened in the summer and offers the opportunity for sightseers to take in stunning views of the Southern Alps and across the Canterbury Plains out to the Pacific Ocean.
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WELLINGTON CITY — The Vector Wellington Round the Bays is now only 11 days away! To date we’ve been receiving an enormous number of registrations which means we have had to make a few changes to the registration process. Registration Number Cap of 12,000 Entries With registrations coming in thick and fast we are on track to break the magical 10,000 registrations number.
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WELLINGTON CITY — They have their own video games and signature shoes, bikes, boards and for some even chewing gum! The Action Sports Stars are arriving in their droves to take over the Capital. Big names like BMX legend Dave Mirra, World Skate no 1 Sandro Dias, 3 x American X-Games gold medallist Cory Bohan, and the Czech backflipping Motorcross star Libor Podmol are arriving in Wellington today for the Vodafone X*Air Games to be held this Friday night and Saturday.
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CHRISTCHURCH — This year is the 25th anniversary of the Coast to Coast so more than the usual number of competitors are expected to be arriving in Christchurch next weekend. The Coast to Coast competitors will also be arriving in Christchurch about the same time as supporters will be making their way to the Crusaders v Reds clash in the Super 14 code this year.
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Netball New Zealand confirmed today Silver Ferns shooter Tania Dalton has withdrawn from the 2007 Silver Ferns squad. 35-year old Dalton who debuted for the Ferns in 1996 said she could no longer continue to manage the commitments required to be part of the 2007 Silver Ferns programme.
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The top price of the day came when Lot 1307 was knocked down to New Zealand trainer, Lance O'Sullivan, for NZ$63,000. The Daggers Drawn colt out of Russian Dancer (Zephyr Ace) was offered by Gordon Cunningham's Curraghmore Stud.
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Jaguar’s new XKR Coupe has been revealed to a new audience at the Autosport International Show at the NEC, Birmingham, and in a new guise. Buckingham-based Apex Motorsport, under the direction of Richard Lloyd, has developed the stunning XKR model for use in the FIA GT3 European Championship.
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SOUTHLAND — Tickets have gone on sale for the 2007 Leitch Motorsport / Southland Times Classic SpeedFest. The tickets are available from Auto Centre, Tweed Street, Invercargill and GWD Russells Parts Department, Yarrow Street, Invercargill.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Pace yourself - that's the message from police to fans attending today's final day at the NZI Sevens in Wellington's Westpac Stadium. Acting Inspector Jason Ross, commander of the police operation for the event, said by 10pm last a total of 11 people had been arrested.
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The 2007 Karaka Select Sale has concluded in record-breaking style, with every previous record shattered. The momentum of the past week continued right to the end of this second session with vendors smiling as the Sale has returned a whopping NZ$21,626,000 in turnover, up 68% from last year's aggregate of NZ$12,856,250 and up 60% from the record aggregate in 2000 of NZ$13,510,500.
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Cycling is a national pastime which record numbers of New Zealanders are enjoying. “Import statistics show more and more people are enjoying cycling†says Cycling Advocates’ Network (CAN) spokesperson Stephen McKernon.
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At the age of 51 the player dubbed Ice Man, who won seven national and two world titles plus several other international events, has decided to step down after 25 years as an international because of an ongoing ankle injury. Brassey had the ankle broken in eight places when he was 18 and in striving to match the High Performance fitness standards required in the build-up to 2008 world championships he aggravated the injury.
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QUEENSTOWN — Popular demand from mountain bikers keen to ride on the hill later in the afternoon and into the evening has led to the introduction of a Twilight Pass at Coronet Peak. The new multi-pass is on offer at $15 an adult and $10 for youth and is available on weeknights only (Monday to Friday) from next Wednesday, February 7.
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AUCKLAND — 2 February 2007 Weet-Bix Tryathlon Heading to Auckland -Less than two weeks left to register for world’s largest sporting event for kids- Budding Auckland triathletes aged 8-15 years need to get in quick to register for the Weet-Bix Tryathlon to be held at St Heliers in Auckland on Sunday 18 February 2007. The WEET-BIX Tryathlon is the world’s largest sporting event for children and encourages Kiwi kids to lead healthy, active lives.
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PRESS RELEASE. The final step along the road to the 2008 Beijing Olympics begins in Taiwan tomorrow for the New Zealand Community Trust White as they face up to their final qualification bid.
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PRESS RELEASE. It has been over six years since the 2000 Sydney Olympics but New Zealand Community Trust White Sox captain Fiona Timu has no trouble recalling the magical time.
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Eight days of celebrations after securing his first open men’s national title could not stop Raglan’s Daniel Kereopa from storming to victory at the Billabong Pro completed at Whangamata today. Kereopa seemingly had Mother Nature on his side when late in the final the best wave of the day popped up in front of him allowing him to score 7.
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