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'I just love everything that sport gives our country': Hamish Kerr wins Supreme Halberg Award
Sport Nation • February 16th, 2026 10:00 pm
Supreme Halberg Award winner Hamish Kerr | Photo: Alan Lee/Photosport
Hamish Kerr has capped off the night of the 63rd Halberg Awards with the Supreme Halberg Award - New Zealand’s highest honor in sport.
After seeing Dame Lydia Ko take home the honours at the 62nd Halbergs last year, tonight was the World Champion high jumper’s night.
Presented by New Zealand Prime Minster Christopher Luxon, the other finalists for the Supreme Halberg were the Black Ferns Sevens, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Danielle Aitchison.
In true Hamish Kerr fashion, he began his acceptance speech with a light-hearted joke: "This trophy is massive."
"A lot of people ask me what I do in my downtime - I just watch a lot of sport. I'm a massive sports fan, I always have been. I have such fond memories of watching sport as a kid.
"And it's really special to be here tonight with a few of those people who were my inspirations - Sarah Ulmer, Hamish Carter, Dame Val Adams - they were the people that I really looked up to and saw the way that they represented our country on a global stage was something that was so inspiring to me.
"To this day, whenever I've got downtime I sit there and watch the Black Ferns Sevens, I watch Zoi, Danielle, the Blackcaps, the All Blacks, and I just love everything that sport gives our country. I just love the way we get to go out there and put the fern out there for the world to see."
New Zealand's Hamish Kerr celebrates winning the Men's High Jump final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo | Photo: Tsutomu Kishimoto/Photosport
Kerr will join Sport Nation’s Scotty & Izzy from 7.15pm Tuesday to recap what was a great night of celebrating the very best in Kiwi sporting achievements.
Leading into the big moment of the night, here is how it all unfolded at Spark Arena.
New Zealand's Favourite Sporting Moment
9.35PM: Presented by last year's winner, Finn Butcher, with 11 special moments from 2025 up for this year's award, the standout as voted by the New Zealand public was Eroni Clarke.
It was indeed a heart-warming moment ahead of the All Blacks' Bledisloe Cup clash last September, when winger Caleb Clarke had tears in his eyes as his father Eroni surprised him, and all of us at home and in the stadium, singing the national anthem beautifully at Eden Park.
Caleb went on to score the opening try of the match in the fourth minute en route to a 33-24 victory.
Hall of Fame Inductee
9.25PM: Arguably the greatest to wear the No. 7 All Blacks jersey, double Rugby World Cup-winning captain Richie McCaw joins Dame Val Adams as the second icon of New Zealand sport to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
Their accolades speak for themselves in careers that represented the nation on the global stage, showcasing their generational talent, and exemplify what it means to honour the legacy of the silver fern.
"Talent will get you only so far," McCaw said in his speech.
"But it's whether you're prepared to persevere, time after time, do the boring things and not get bored of it - keep looking for those little bits you can get better at. That's what starts to differentiate the people that are there for a little while, as to ones that can potentially be there for a long time.
"That's the toughest thing in sport, when you reach your pinnacle, is to do it again."
Sportswoman of the Year
9.10PM: New Zealand's snow queen Zoi Sadowski-Synnott is the world champion in the snowboard slopestyle event and has been recognised as the nation's top sportswoman.
Currently competing at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the pride of Wānaka spoke via video message: "What an incredible honour to be nominated alongside such incredible women and athletes, I couldn't be more honoured to receive this award.
"I'd really like to thank my friends, family, and my support team for making this all possible. I wouldn't be here without you and your sacrifices and hard work don't go unnoticed."
Those 'incredible women and athletes' acknowledged by the 24-year-old NZ flagbearer are Niamh Fisher-Black, Sammie Maxwell, Jorja Miller, Alice Robinson, and Erin Routliffe.
Sportsman of the Year
8.56PM: "The Olympic Champion becomes the World Champion" was a commentary line heard several times during the broadcast, that is of course, Hamish Kerr - recognised as New Zealand's Sportsman of the Year, a title retained from last year's Halbergs.
Born in Dunedin, schooled in Auckland, but now living and training in Christchurch, 29-year-old Kerr jumped 2.36m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last year to take the world title, equalling his own outdoor records in the process, and cementing himself as a heavy-hitter in the high jump discipline.
"Firstly, I just want to apologise for any non-athletics fans out there - it's been a good night," Kerr said in jest to open his speech.
Kerr also paid tribute to his fellow nominees, recognising the likes of Chris Wood and Ryan Fox who continue to push their competitors in what he considers truly global sports, football and golf respectively, plus fellow athletics nominee Geordie Beamish and the Freeski Big Air World Champion Luca Harrington.
Along with a touching tribute to his parents: "Bridget and Andrew, you taught me the importance of showing up - rain, hail, shine or if I was grumpy or happy - just turn up and get it done. That was something I still think about a lot today."
Izzy Dagg sits down with Hamish Kerr and Tom Walsh over a feed of fish and chips | Sport Nation
Para Athlete/Para Team of the Year
8.42PM: With the award presented by the incomparable Dame Sophie Pascoe, Para athletics track star Danielle Aitchison takes home the Halberg over nominees Lisa Adams, Devon Briggs, Cameron Leslie, and Nicole Murray.
"A massive thank you to my Mum who has always been by my side, and has continued to push me and encourage me to dream big, and never let my disability hinder my achievements and what I want to do in the world," Aitchison said during her acceptance speech.
Team of the Year
8.38PM: It's hard to argue with the Black Ferns Sevens - the championship-winning side, coached by Halberg-nominee Cory Sweeney, prove time and time again what an unstoppable force they can be on World Rugby's sevens circuit.
But they were up against stiff competition: Softball World Cup finalists the New Zealand Black Sox, the historic Auckland FC side that won the A-League Men's premiers' plate in their inaugural season, the Pacific Championship-winning Kiwis, plus the men's team pursuit foursome of Nick Kergozou, Tom Sexton, Keegan Hornblow and Marshall Erwood, plus rowing pair Ben Taylor & Oliver Welch.
The Black Ferns Sevens celebrate their Halberg win | Photo: Alan Lee/Photosport
Hall of Fame Inductee
8.28PM: Double Olympic gold medalist Dame Val Adams is inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame after it was reinstated from a five-year hiatus and soon to be reopened at its new home of Cambridge at the Grassroots Trust Velodrome.
"From a young age, athletics saved me," Dame Val Adams said in her speech.
"Providing countless opportunities to build a life and a platform to inspire and transform lives, particularly within our Pacific communities and in my homeland of Tonga."
Emerging Talent Award
8.20PM: Ten years on from winning the award herself as a teenager, Kiwi pole vaulter Eliza McCartney announced Sam Ruthe as this year's recipient. As the youngest person in history to run the mile in under four minutes who continues to show the world his potential, Ruthe will be a popular choice.
Unable to attend the awards ceremony due to traveling to the USA for competition, the Tauranga native edges out Lily Greenough, Finley Melville Ives, Zoe Pedersen, Braxton Sorensen-McGee, and Cooper Moore.
The rivalry between Sam Ruthe and Sam Tanner is great for NZ athletics | Scotty & Izzy
Coach of the Year
8.15PM: Hamish Kerr's coach James Sandilands was a standout choice for the first Halberg award of the evening - the results speak for themselves when you guide a Kiwi athlete to the top in a global sport like athletics.
"I always think a coaching award is bit of an interesting one - I only get to stand up here if the athletes themselves perform exceptionally over the year. So, it's an honour to be a part of that," Sandilands said during the live broadcast on Sky Sport.
"It's been awesome to travel the world with my best mate (Kerr) and be able to do some really cool stuff together. Every now and again, we popped into a little high jump competition and do pretty well I'd say."
Sandilands emerges top of fellow nominees Brendon Cameron, Hamish McDougall, Mike Rodger, and Cory Sweeney.
8PM: Kia ora and welcome to Sport Nation's coverage! Spark Arena is packed out with the finalists wearing their finest, while others are currently representing New Zealand at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Ballots close at 8.30pm for the people's vote: New Zealand's Favourite Sporting Moment.
Will it be Sam Ruthe, Luke Harrold, Auckland FC, Ryan Fox, Ardie Savea, Hayden Wilde, Portia Woodman-Wickcliffe, Geordie Beamish, Hamish Kerr, Eroni Clarke's surprise anthem performance at Eden Park, or Matt Payne conquering a wet and wild Mt Panorama in the Bathurst 1000?
The Black Ferns are the standard for NZ Rugby | Scotty & Izzy
Halberg Award Finalists
Sportswoman of the Year: Niamh Fisher-Black (cycling, road), Sammie Maxwell (cycling, mountain bike), Jorja Miller (rugby union), Alice Robinson (snow sports, alpine ski racing), Erin Routliffe (tennis), Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (snow sports, snowboard).
Sportsman of the Year: Geordie Beamish (athletics, track), Ryan Fox (golf), Luca Harrington (snow sports, freeski), Hamish Kerr (athletics, field), Chris Wood (football).
Para Athlete/Para Team of the Year: Lisa Adams (Para athletics, field), Danielle Aitchison (Para athletics), Devon Briggs (Para cycling, track), Cameron Leslie (swimming), Nicole Murray (Para cycling, track).
Team of the Year: Auckland FC (football), Black Ferns Sevens (rugby sevens), New Zealand Black Sox (softball), New Zealand Kiwis (rugby league), Men's Team Pursuit: Nick Kergozou, Tom Sexton, Keegan Hornblow & Marshall Erwood (cycling, track), Ben Taylor & Oliver Welch (rowing).
Coach of the Year: Brendon Cameron (Para cycling, track), Hamish McDougall (snow sports, freeski), Mike Rodger (rowing), James Sandilands (athletics), Cory Sweeney (rugby sevens).
Emerging Talent: Lily Greenough (cycling, BMX), Finley Melville Ives (snow sports, freeski), Zoe Pedersen (swimming and surf lifesaving), Sam Ruthe (athletics), Braxton Sorensen-McGee (rugby union), Cooper Moore (golf).
