Gisborne finalists named for surf lifesaving Awards of Excellence
Surf Life Saving New Zealand has announced the finalists for the Gisborne/Tairāwhiti Awards of Excellence for the 2024-25 season.
The awards recognise and celebrate the skill and commitment of surf lifeguards who make a meaningful contribution towards saving lives, developing great New Zealanders and keeping beachgoers safer.
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Newsroom
14 hours ago
- Newsroom
Jacqueline Kennedy, the gifted Kiwi kayaker
Behind the trailblazing success of Dame Lisa Carrington and Aimee Fisher, young sprint kayakers are starting to line up to hopefully take over when their heroes eventually depart the stage. Gisborne's Jacqueline Kennedy is one of those impressive candidates and what's more, she has a brother who's looking to scale the heights alongside her. Kennedy was just four when Carrington won her first Olympic gold medal in London in 2012 and even though it was more of a general thought, the two-week sports extravaganza was something she quickly realised she wanted to be a part of. 'When I was way younger, I said to myself, I want to go to the Olympics. I didn't quite know what sport, but I wanted to go. I first thought it would be running, but now it's turning into kayaking and so whether it's 2028 or 2032 I probably won't stop until I get there and I'm sure many of the athletes I compete with are the same,' Kennedy says. Now 16, Kennedy is a year 12 student at Gisborne Girls High School. Her brother Maxwell is 17 and is head boy at Gisborne Boys. The siblings were a key part of the Poverty Bay Kayak Club squad that finished second overall out of the competing clubs at April's New Zealand Canoe Sprint Nationals, taking home five gold medals, 24 silver and 19 bronze over three days at Lake Karapiro. In the U18 category, Jacqueline won gold in the K1 200m, K1 500m and K1 1,000m individual events, while Maxwell, alongside club teammates, was victorious in the K2 500m, K4 200m and K4 500m categories. The siblings teamed up to take the Junior Mixed K2 200m title and then Jacqueline climbed in another boat alongside Hawkes Bay's Aimee Fisher to win the open K2 200m and K2 500m crowns. Kennedy and Aimee Fisher after one of their wins at Karapiro. Photo: Sally Cameron 'In all honesty I was more nervous getting in a boat with my brother than I was getting in a boat with Aimee,' Kennedy says. 'Both of them are brilliant paddlers and I knew Aimee had a lot of experience and I also wanted to do really well with my brother because that meant a lot to a lot of people. When I was in the boat with Aimee I was pretty nervous because she's extraordinary; she's the fastest K1 woman in the world [in history] and I just wanted to be able to keep up with her and make her feel like she wasn't pulling me along. I'm super grateful for the opportunity for her to bring me along and I just want to make it worth it for her. I want people to see there's two people in the boat.' Kennedy, who was named Canoe Racing New Zealand's Junior Athlete of the Year in February, represented New Zealand at the International Canoe Federation Junior World Sprint Championships in Bulgaria last year. She has also been named for 2025's edition, which takes place in Portugal in July, just before her 17th birthday. She'll also get another chance to line up for her country alongside Maxwell, who has also been chosen in the national squad. 'This sport has become a real family affair. Last year in the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup it was the first time Maxwell and I represented New Zealand together. This will be the first World Championships for us together and I'm sure there's going to be many more. It's super special for the family, we're happy we can make them all proud,' Kennedy says. Kennedy also competed in this year's Asia Pacific Sprint Cup in Japan, winning three golds on day one of a weather affected competition, in the K1, K2 and K4 500m events. The World Championship squad will have training camps in Christchurch and Auckland before departing for Europe at the start of July. They'll spend wo weeks in Europe at their final training camp before the championships start on July 23. 'I've learnt a lot from last year, what to do differently and I'm excited to truly be competitive, whereas last year it was crazy,' Kennedy says. Born on the North Shore in Auckland, Kennedy and her family moved to Gisborne when she was four, returning to where her mother grew up and where Jacqueline's grandfather lived. Paddling with brother Max at the Karapiro champs. Photo: Sally Cameron Jaqueline and Maxwell started surf lifesaving at Midway Surf Club and instantly fell in love with the environment, enjoying the waves and the paddleboarding. 'There was a couple of old boys at both Midway and Poverty Bay Kayak Club who told my brother and I we should come kayaking, so we did. My brother took to it more than me, I was into my running, but come March 2023, my brother was going to be competing in Asia Pacifics and I was going to be at Karapiro for about five days, so Mum and Dad [Sally and Craig] said I may as well get into a boat,' Kennedy says. Amazingly, it was only March 2023 when she officially started kayak training. 'Since then it's progressed very quickly, which is quite exciting but sometimes you sit back and think, 'wow, this has happened really quickly'.' Although she's now part of the Canoe Racing New Zealand (CRNZ) set-up, the Kennedys are lucky to have strong, local coaching support to assist their day-to-day development. 'What we've soon discovered is the best coaching I can get is from my coach Liz Thompson at Poverty Bay. Liz is amazing. She knows so much more than anyone I've ever met in the kayaking world. She knows what you need. For me personally, she knows when to help with my nerves, or to fire me up. She knows when I need to take back or I need to keep pushing and I know that when I'm with Liz, I'm in good hands because there's no doubt she knows what she's doing. She's an incredible coach,' Kennedy says. As she mentions, one of the work-ons for Kennedy is controlling her nerves, but she's able to take on words of wisdom from the top women in the sport, who are easy to approach and always happy to talk through their experiences to try and help. 'Aimee, Lisa, Alicia [Hoskin, two-time Olympic champion], they're all incredible ladies and I'm now beginning to see the journey that they've all gone through. When you meet them, you realise how down to earth they are and it makes you think, if they can do incredible things, so can I,' Kennedy says. Ultimately though, Kennedy's biggest inspiration is family, with parents Sally and Craig a huge influence, alongside grandparents, other family members, friends, and of course her brother. 'I think I inherited my competitiveness from both of them. My parents want the best out of my brother and I. I love my parents very, very much. They drive us to training, they make sure we have all the right gear, they travel across the world and it's hard to express how much I appreciate that. They'll never let me and Maxwell miss out on an opportunity which is something that we're both very grateful for.'
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Chook Tree a finalist in national competition
The Chook Tree in Waianakarua in North Otago is a finalist in the Tree of the Year competition. Photo: ODT files Three trees from the North Island will go up against three from the South Island, including a tree from North Otago, in a national competition. The Chook Tree in Waianakarua, north of Palmerston, has been named as a finalist in the Tree of the Year competition. The competition was launched this week and the public was invited to vote for their favourite from a shortlist of six trees across the country. In a statement, the NZ Notable Trees Trust, which runs the competition, said the Tree of the Year was a celebration of the iconic trees that shaped the country's landscapes, memories and communities. The competition shared stories of trees that held cultural, historical, and personal significance — drawing inspiration from the long-running European Tree of the Year competition. Last month, New Zealanders were encouraged to nominate a single tree that held special meaning — not a whole species, but one tree with a unique story. The aim was to highlight the deep-rooted connections we share with these living treasures. NZ Notable Trees Trust trustee Brad Cadwallader said the heart of the competition lay in community engagement. "These trees are part of our shared story — they hold our memories, mark our histories and shape our landscapes." Voting has opened and will close at midnight on June 30. This year's winner will be announced on July 5. Last year the award was given to a northern rātā (Metrosideros robusta) nicknamed ''The Walking Tree''. The distinctive tree is near Karamea Cemetery on the West Coast. Tree finalists The Fairy Tree, Auckland Domain St Luke's Gum, Greytown Rangiora Borough School Redwood Te Herenga Ora, Burnside High School, Christchurch The Phantom Rātā, Lake Ōkataina The Chook Tree, Waianakarua, Otago — APL
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Janssen relishing bigger role with Nuggets
Jonathan Janssen has a chance to rewrite the script with the Otago Nuggets. Previously he got to hang out on the wing and toss up a few three-pointers. But the departure of import Jose Perez has meant the one-game Tall Black has had to step up and step into the paint. It is not exactly a new role for the 30-year-old. The 2.06m forward has always had the ability to mix it up on the inside. But he has been viewed as an outside shooter and that was what the Nuggets brought him in to do. "I think, in a sense, I'm still kind of doing the same thing that I was doing, I'm just doing it more. "Jose was an inside-based post kind of playing guy. So that allowed me to stretch the floor. "And now with him gone, it now requires more of a post presence for us. So, you know, just kind of stepping up to that." That means he has been setting more screens and rolling towards the hoop. His hook shot has proved quite productive. He had his best game in the 98-92 defeat to the Hawke's Bay Hawks in Dunedin late last month. He poured in 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. It was not enough for the Nuggets to post a breakthrough win, though. They are on a 10-game losing streak and host the Taranaki Airs at the Edgar Centre tonight. The visitors are well-placed to make the playoffs, whereas the Nuggets are playing for pride at this point in the season. It is a tough assignment but Janssen said the team was focused on improving. "I think we've shown really great improvements over the last three games since Jose's departure. "I think that we're playing good team basketball, and in two out of the three games we were actually up. "If you look at the Saints game, it was a three-point game with 50 seconds left." The Nuggets have certainly left some potential wins out on the court. They have lacked composure in the key moments. "We're up there competing with every single team and we know that we can do that. It's just going to come down to the end of the game and locking in when it matters most." Janssen was born in South Africa but spent his early years living in Auckland. His family moved to Queensland when he was 13. Janssen played college basketball in the United States. He had a stint with the Cleveland State Vikings before transferring to Hawaii Pacific. He had a professional gig in Kosovo and was preparing for a second season with the Canterbury Rams when Covid arrived. He played one game for the Tall Blacks during the pandemic. He joined a bunch of Australian-based New Zealanders for the fixture. Janssen has also had two seasons in Luxembourg, and also suited up for the Hawks in 2021 and played from the bench. He was sidelined with a foot injury last year and missed some games for the Nuggets at the start of the 2025 campaign while his foot was healing. But since returning, he has cemented himself in the starting side and his role has expanded with the exit of Perez. He has embraced the opportunity to have the ball in his hands more often. "I think everyone enjoys that, right? "I think I'm a good decision-maker ... which helps the guys and helps get other guys really good looks too. "In a sense, we've been playing really great team basketball and putting me in that position has helped that as well." NBL Edgar Centre, tonight, 7.30 Otago Nuggets: Jonathan Janssen, Matthew Bardsley, Donald Carey jun, Joshua Aitcheson, Jaylen Sebree, Patrick Freeman, Darcy Knox, Caleb Smiler, Christian Martin, Mac Stodart, Liam Boomer, Noah McDowall. Taranaki Airs (possible): Carlin Davison, Armon Fletcher, Deng Dut, Craig Moller, Jack Andrew, Jack Exeter, Scott Telfer, Jaylen Gerrand, Lyric Tuhaka, Dominique Kelman-Poto, Quintin Bailey, Cameron Quinnell.
