Sporting volunteers to be recognised

September 2nd, 2015
[by David Armstrong]

The annual Motueka Volunteers awards event is coming up, this year celebrating the outstanding efforts put in by the town's sports coaches, administrators and organisers.

Guest speakers at the celebration at Top 10 Holiday Park will be three locals well-known in the sporting scene: ex-Olympian Toni Hodgkinson, current NZ junior champion Amanda Fitisemanu and long-serving Huia rugby coach Dion Iorns (all pictured at right).

The event was to have been held at Memorial Hall, but earthquake strengthening work throughout September means that is no longer available, so the venue has been switched to the Top 10 Holiday Park conference centre.

This is the third volunteers awards event organised by Vision Motueka, and because it focuses on sporting volunteers it will be held on Sunday September 20th rather than the usual Saturday afternoon.

Invitations were sent last month to the committees of all Motueka and Riwaka sports clubs, asking for nominations for the up to 10 awards as well as club representatives to attend the occasion.

Chief organiser Linda Glew says there are still quite a few clubs who have not replied to the invitations, and urges them to get in touch to book their place. They can contact Linda at or email .

The event's sponsor, Harcourts Motueka, will select the award winners from the nominations sent in by the clubs.

"It could be because of their length of service, some important project they have worked on recently or currently, their generous attitude to volunteering - or just because they always get stuck in without seeking praise or reward," Linda says.

And Dion says that it's not just the volunteers who need recognition. "As coaches and organisers we can only do so much, but we also need the support of the parents to make sure their kids turn up ready to practise and compete."

Without these sports club volunteers, the clubs and the regular events that they organise simply would not exist, and the whole community would then suffer, not just the players.

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