Emerging sports stars from Māngere-Ōtāhuhu have been recognised at the Local Board's Junior Sports awards in April.
Organised by Counties Manukau Sports Foundation, the awards honoured and recognised the multitude of the young sporting champions in the area who showed exceptional talent and dedication in 2023.
Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local board chair Tauanu’u Nick Bakulich says, “It is no surprise that our community produce a group of athletic talent, spanning various sports.”
The event has entered its third year, made possible by support and funding from the board.
Twenty-five nominations were put forward for this year’s awards which ranges from all codes of Rugby, Netball, Athletics, Football, Swimming, Gymnastics and Softball. The finalists were whittled down to eight overall winners.
“As a board, we take great pleasure in presenting these awards to our rangatahi, coaches, teams, and individuals. This recognition and celebration are a testament of everyone’s dedication and assistance in aiding our rangatahi in achieving success and thriving,” says Bakulich.
The annual awards were held at Manukau Rovers Rugby Football Club, Viscount Street, Mangere and drew a crowd of over 100.
Bakulich concludes, “Looking ahead to the next year, I hope that more of our local sporting teams, individuals and supporting staff put forth nominations and we can really come together to acknowledge and celebrate their wonderful mahi in the ever-competitive world of sports.”
Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local board members Makalita Kolo, Christine O’Brien, Chair Tauanu’u Nick Bakulich, Joe Glassie-Rasmussen and Togiatolu Walter Togiamua.
Criteria
All nominations must be within the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local board area and the qualifying period for year of performance is from 1st January 2023 to 31 December 2023.
This year’s judges included local board deputy chair Harry Fatu Toleafoa.
Categories
Junior Coach of the Year Cheryl Grbic (Outrigger Canoe)
Junior Team of the Year Bader Intermediate Flag Team
U13 Sportswoman of the Year Justyce Tonga (Flag Football & Netball)
U16 Sportswoman of the Year Marnie Toloa (Waka Ama)
U16 Sportsman of the Year Isaac Sulu-Kiripati (Athletics & Rugby League & Rugby)
U19 Sportswoman of the Year Sienna French (Trampoline)
U19 Sportsman of the Year James Ford (Athletics)
Rising Star Award Frank Vaenuku (Rugby)
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