The finalists have been named in the Central Otago Sports Awards, which features locals who have displayed determined sporting talent in many different codes.

Many of the nominees have featured on The Central App in the last year, as national champions, world champions and record breakers.

Sport Central Sport and Recreation Advisor Jo Knight said it was pleasing to see nominations from a range of sports such as sailing, equestrian games, ice hockey, multi-sport, para-athletics and rowing.

Junior sportswoman, junior sportsman and para-athlete of the year categories feature students from Dunstan High School (DHS) and Cromwell College.

Junior sportswomen candidate DHS’s Sky Sanders had success at the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) Youth and Teen World Barrel Racing Championships in the United States (USA) last July. PHOTO: Rodeo Bum USA

Other nominees include Eddie Adams for mountain biking and road cycling, Mac Denniston for athletics and Cromwell College’s Grace Tiko for netball.

Former DHS students the Henderson siblings, Caitlyn and Jake are both nominated in respective categories for their success in mounted equestrian games; sportswoman of the year, and junior sportsman of the year. 

Caitlyn and Jake Henderson. PHOTO: Supplied

Dunstan Arm Rowing Club (DARC) rower Jack Pearson, (19), who was selected for the New Zealand team to compete in Canada in August, is in contention for the sportsman of the year, against some other huge names from Central Lakes including Cromwell’s Hayden Paddon, Alexandra’s Finn Butcher and Wānaka’s Nico Porteous. 

In the team of the year award, five different rowing crews are nominated including the DARC men's senior quad and DHS students and Maadi cup gold medalists Bella Breen and Ruby Smith.

New Zealand junior men's curling team and sailors Mabel North and Madison Smith complete the nominees in this category.

Bella Breen and Ruby Smith. PHOTO: Supplied 

DARC and DHS rowing coach Simon Smith is in the running for coach of the year, against Michael Beable from Aspiring Athletics and Snow Sports NZ’s Brad Prosser for freeski park and pipe disciplines.  

The Forsyth Barr Central Otago Sports Awards are on Friday May 10 at the Lake Wānaka Centre. 

The Central Otago Sports Awards region includes all the area within the Sport Central catchment and includes: Ranfurly, Maniototo, Alexandra, Roxburgh, Clyde, Cromwell, Wānaka, Tarras, Makarora, Hawea, Arrowtown, Queenstown, Glenorchy, Kingston, and any other location in the Central Otago or Queenstown Lakes districts.

The nomination period is for the 2023- 2024 sporting years from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.

Check out some of The Central App’s stories on nominees below:

Read more: Four DARC members selected for NZ team

Read more: DHS rowers fire at Maadi Cup

Read more: Henderson siblings have Italy in their sights

Read more: DHS student nabs three medals, two records at athletic nationals

Read more: National MTB title for Alexandra’s Eddie Adams

Read more: DHS cowgirl rides in USA

Read more: Cromwell student makes national netball team