The home of Māori sport is the official broadcaster of this year’s REGIONAL MĀORI SPORTS AWARDS as well as the NATIONAL MĀORI SPORTS AWARDS.

Māori Television will screen five iwi sports awards: Taranaki (Friday October 26 at 8.00 PM); Te Arawa (Friday November 2 at 8.00 PM); Turanganui-a-Kiwa (Friday November 9 at 8.00 PM); Te Tai Tokerau (Friday November 16 at 8.00 PM); and Mataatua (Friday November 23 at 8.00 PM). The regional events are held by iwi groups throughout the country to foster, promote and encourage Māori sportspeople at a grassroots level in the pursuit of excellence in their chosen fields and to honour the outstanding sporting achievements attained by Māori.

For the fourth year in a row, Māori Television is also broadcasting the NATIONAL MĀORI SPORTS AWARDS which will screen on Saturday November 24 at 9.00 PM. The national awards organiser – Te Tohu Taakaro o Aotearoa Charitable Trust – will host the prestigious black-tie ceremony at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua for the first time in its 17-year history.

The trust will present a range of awards including administrator, coach, umpire/referee, team, disabled sportsperson, and junior and senior sportsman and sportswoman as well as several world champions. An inaugural Māori Sports Awards was held at Turangawaewae Marae in 1991 by the late Albie Pryor who had a vision to promote and encourage Māori athletes in the pursuit of excellence in their chosen sports.

Last year, three-time World Cup winning captain of the New Zealand women’s rugby team, Farah Palmer, beat a world-class field of finalists to take the top prize. Palmer took out the title of senior Māori sportswoman before accepting the supreme award – the Albie Pryor Memorial Māori Sportsperson of the Year.

Māori Television presents the REGIONAL MĀORI SPORTS AWARDS every Friday at 8.00 PM from October 26 and the NATIONAL MĀORI SPORTS AWARDS on Saturday November 24 at 9.00 PM.