Dame Lisa Carrington Honoured with Seventh Supreme Title at 34th Māori Sports Awards

Aotearoa celebrated its elite Indigenous athletes on Saturday night as Dame Lisa Carrington (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Porou) claimed the supreme honour at the 34th Trillian Trust Māori Sports Awards. Held at the Mercury Baypark Arena in Mount Maunganui, the event recognized Carrington’s historic year, during which she secured three gold medals at the Paris Olympics. This latest accolade marks the seventh time she has been named the Albie Pryor Memorial Māori Sports Person of the Year. According to the NZ Herald, Carrington’s achievements in Paris brought her career total to nine Olympic medals, including eight gold. Her success was a focal point of a black-tie evening hosted by Te Tohu Taakaro o Aotearoa Charitable Trust, which also celebrated a record number of Māori Olympians. Among the honourees were 10 sportswomen who secured gold at the 2024 Games, reflecting a powerful era for Māori in international sport. The ceremony also saw the induction of Riki Ellison (Ngāi Tahu) into the Māori Sports Hall of Fame, Te Whare Mātāpuna o te Ao Māori. Ellison was recognized as the first New Zealander to play professional American football in the United States and the first to win a Super Bowl. Other major winners included Cory Sweeney (Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara), named Coach of the Year for leading the New Zealand Women’s Sevens team to Olympic victory, and Codie Taylor (Muaūpoko, Ngāti Raukawa), who took home the Senior Māori Sportsman of the Year title. In the Para sports category, bronze medallist Peter Cowan (Ngāti Kahungunu) was named Māori Para Athlete of the Year following his successful Paralympic debut. The evening also highlighted rising talent, with rugby standout Maia Davis (Ngāti Hineuru, Taranaki) and New Zealand Secondary Schools rugby captain Charlie Sinton (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa) receiving junior titles and educational scholarships.