The yearly event is a longstanding tradition which acknowledges the outstanding achievement displayed by student athletes both in their sporting codes and academically. It is the highest sporting accolade given in Aotearoa New Zealand’s tertiary system.
This year, 140 Blues Awards will be presented to recognise the achievements of Massey’s student athletes who are excelling in their sporting careers, with three athletes receiving awards for competing in two sports. Three Sporting Excellence awards will also be bestowed, which recognises non-athletes who meet the Blues criteria in their sport for coaching, managing, or officiating.
All finalists are considered by the Blues Selection Committee, with top athletes being selected across four additional categories: Distance Sportsman, Distance Sportswoman, Campus Sportsman, and Campus Sportswoman of the Year. From these four major award winners, the Selection Committee will choose one overall Supreme Award winner.
The celebration will take place virtually on the evening of Thursday 20 October, with White Ferns cricketer Amelia Kerr and 3x3 Tall Ferns player Ella Fotu as guest speakers.
It’s been a busy couple of months for Ella, who finished up in Birmingham before flying to Dunedin for the G.J. Gardner Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa League, New Zealand’s first professional women’s basketball league. She says she’s looking forward to some rest and recovery now that the off season has started, and says it’s a privilege to be invited to speak at the Awards.
“It’s an absolute honour to be a guest speaker this year, given Massey has such an amazing cohort of student athletes. I feel a little shocked given I have witnessed some great guest speakers, but proud to be part of this as we all know, the journey has and is a process.”
Alongside her basketball career and work as a firefighter, Ella is also studying a Bachelor of Science with Massey via distance.
With both Amelia and Ella having an array of accomplishments to their names and having competed in Birmingham this year, Sports Advancement Manager Jacob Oram will interview them about their experiences as elite athletes representing Aotearoa New Zealand at an international level.
Finalists
Campus Sportswoman of the Year
Phoenix Reid – Artistic Roller Skating
Georgia Wheeler – Canoe Polo
Ashtuti Kumar – Cricket
Campus Sportsman of the Year
Edward Lau – Badminton
Luke Sipkes – Diving
Connor Greentree – Hockey
Charl Ulrich – Hockey
Joseph Gavigan – Rugby
Distance Sportswoman of the Year
Maddison-Lee Wesche – Athletics
Aimee Fisher – Canoe Sprint
Emily Shearman – Cycling
Maia Wilson – Netball
Tyla Nathan-Wong – Rugby & Rugby Sevens
Amanda Landers–Murphy – Squash
Distance Sportsman of the Year
Finn Butcher – Canoe Slalom
Nicholas Kergozou De La Boessiere – Cycling
Ben Waine – Football
Tom Mackintosh – Rowing
Ben Barclay – Skiing
Event details
Time: 6pm
Date: Thursday 20 October
Hosts: Dr Bevan Erueti and Dr Farah Palmer
To attend the Blues Awards, register here.
Related news
Blues Awards winners zoom in to take trophies
New Zealand's most successful Olympian and Canoe Sprint champion Lisa Carrington has been named the inaugural winner of the Massey University Blues Sports Awards Supreme Award for 2021.
Blues Awards celebrate talent on and off the field
Athletes competing in a range of sports, from canoe polo to judo, have taken out the top prizes at this year's Massey University Blues Awards.
