McCaw New Zealander of the year

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#1494684 18-Feb-2016 10:01

It's simple, the New Zealander of the Year Awards were mixed up with the Halberg results announced today/tomorrow. Just you wait and see... Two prominent NZers will be named Sports Man and Woman of the Year and they'll never have played more than a single round of golf.

p.s. @geektastic there was a Senior New Zealander of the Year... http://nzawards.org.nz/awards/senior-new-zealander-year/

tdgeek

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#1494692 18-Feb-2016 10:11

SaltyNZ:

Relax; the All Blacks logo will officially be the flag in a few weeks, and then it will all make sense. Also, have you been snapper fishing lately? I love it. John Key loves it too.

Ah you mean the NZ logo that appears on some sports team kit, and also on food packaging, etc as its a NZ logo, got it now!

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#1494699 18-Feb-2016 10:20

tdgeek:

Ah you mean the NZ logo that appears on some sports team kit, and also on food packaging, etc as its a NZ logo, got it now!

Yes, that one. You (and I know you personally didn't) cannot on the one hand argue that world knows about NZ because of the All Blacks, and then on the other argue that they know the fern is an NZ symbol, rather than an All Blacks symbol.

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#1494702 18-Feb-2016 10:25

I just heard him on Radio NZ talking about it, and he talks a lot of sense. However I think this award should be for someone doing amazing things who would otherwise go unrecognised.

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#1494708 18-Feb-2016 10:40

My opinion is that he is great. But in the whole scheme of things, rugger is a subset of NZ life and its people, and being a great player in a sport is less important than contributons to society that others make/made. Niche is probably the best word to describe a top sportsman. I see sport as a pastime, I'd prefer to leave awards as sports awards, and not mix them in with awards to those who contribute to society. Richie is far more exposed, ansd thats probably the bias that came through

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#1494715 18-Feb-2016 10:45

roobarb: Now, if he captained New Zealand to win the soccer WORLD cup, then the WORLD might pay attention.

With the state of "soccer" in New Zealand, if someone captained the All Whites to win the world cup I might just think that feat worthy of New Zealander of the Year - it would be quite an achievement!

On the other hand, the All Blacks have been the best rugby team in the world for quite some time. I am happy to be proved wrong on this, but as far as I can tell the ABs have been the #1 ranked team in world rugby since rankings have been a thing, except for a short period in 2003 (when we were behind England) and a shorter period in 2007 (when we were behind South Africa). We were easily favourites to win RWC2015. Should we grant this kind of award, or a knighthood, for something that everybody expected to happen anyway?

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tdgeek

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#1494718 18-Feb-2016 10:50

andrew027:

roobarb: Now, if he captained New Zealand to win the soccer WORLD cup, then the WORLD might pay attention.

With the state of "soccer" in New Zealand, if someone captained the All Whites to win the world cup I might just think that feat worthy of New Zealander of the Year - it would be quite an achievement!

On the other hand, the All Blacks have been the best rugby team in the world for quite some time. I am happy to be proved wrong on this, but as far as I can tell the ABs have been the #1 ranked team in world rugby since rankings have been a thing, except for a short period in 2003 (when we were behind England) and a shorter period in 2007 (when we were behind South Africa). We were easily favourites to win RWC2015. Should we grant this kind of award, or a knighthood, for something that everybody expected to happen anyway?

Good points

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#1494728 18-Feb-2016 11:01

andrew027:

roobarb: Now, if he captained New Zealand to win the soccer WORLD cup, then the WORLD might pay attention.

With the state of "soccer" in New Zealand, if someone captained the All Whites to win the world cup I might just think that feat worthy of New Zealander of the Year - it would be quite an achievement!

On the other hand, the All Blacks have been the best rugby team in the world for quite some time. I am happy to be proved wrong on this, but as far as I can tell the ABs have been the #1 ranked team in world rugby since rankings have been a thing, except for a short period in 2003 (when we were behind England) and a shorter period in 2007 (when we were behind South Africa). We were easily favourites to win RWC2015. Should we grant this kind of award, or a knighthood, for something that everybody expected to happen anyway?

Did you watch the RWC? Favourites mean nothing in sport. You still have to go out there, get the best from your players in a way that times well with what is happening elsewhere in other teams. NZ pretty much had to play the next best teams in the world in all the knockout stages to win, and won in style and with a margin rarely seen in a final.

I am a pretty big Rugby fan, but knowing your team is best in the world and having them beat all the other teams to take the trophy, is still a massive accomplishment. It requires excellent coaching, excellent skill and excellent commitment and just because they did what some people assumed they would, doesn't take away from what a big deal it was.

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#1494801 18-Feb-2016 11:38

networkn:

andrew027:

roobarb: Now, if he captained New Zealand to win the soccer WORLD cup, then the WORLD might pay attention.

With the state of "soccer" in New Zealand, if someone captained the All Whites to win the world cup I might just think that feat worthy of New Zealander of the Year - it would be quite an achievement!

On the other hand, the All Blacks have been the best rugby team in the world for quite some time. I am happy to be proved wrong on this, but as far as I can tell the ABs have been the #1 ranked team in world rugby since rankings have been a thing, except for a short period in 2003 (when we were behind England) and a shorter period in 2007 (when we were behind South Africa). We were easily favourites to win RWC2015. Should we grant this kind of award, or a knighthood, for something that everybody expected to happen anyway?

Did you watch the RWC? Favourites mean nothing in sport. You still have to go out there, get the best from your players in a way that times well with what is happening elsewhere in other teams. NZ pretty much had to play the next best teams in the world in all the knockout stages to win, and won in style and with a margin rarely seen in a final.

I am a pretty big Rugby fan, but knowing your team is best in the world and having them beat all the other teams to take the trophy, is still a massive accomplishment. It requires excellent coaching, excellent skill and excellent commitment and just because they did what some people assumed they would, doesn't take away from what a big deal it was.

Agree, and it deserves team of the year, player of the year, etc, but the favourite, and No.1 team isnt the same as if a non top 6 team won. It was not guaranteed, but expected.

IMHO it belongs as a niche award, the category being sportsperson.

networkn

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#1494808 18-Feb-2016 11:48

Agree, and it deserves team of the year, player of the year, etc, but the favourite, and No.1 team isnt the same as if a non top 6 team won. It was not guaranteed, but expected.

IMHO it belongs as a niche award, the category being sportsperson.

I mean it's not that I don't agree with some of what is being said, we have the Halbergs etc, and lots of other sporting awards, but then we have science ones and business ones as well, and those people win it as well.

RM has been an amazing role model and ambassador and sits right up there with Sir Edmund Hillary in my opinion as one of our greatest ever Kiwi's.

If you exclude people who are paid for their work, people who can win other prizes, then you are really naming "unknown, volunteer NZ'r of the year", which is pretty Niche.

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#1494830 18-Feb-2016 12:08

I wonder why, for example, the heart surgeon who saved the most lives in NZ last year was not on the shortlist (whoever that was - I have no idea). Seems to me a more important function than captaining a sports team.

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#1494841 18-Feb-2016 12:17

Geektastic:
I wonder why, for example, the heart surgeon who saved the most lives in NZ last year was not on the shortlist (whoever that was - I have no idea). Seems to me a more important function than captaining a sports team.

Because it won't be the heart surgeon who would save the most lives, that goes to paramedics and fire fighters first on the scene.

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#1494842 18-Feb-2016 12:18

Geektastic:

I wonder why, for example, the heart surgeon who saved the most lives in NZ last year was not on the shortlist (whoever that was - I have no idea). Seems to me a more important function than captaining a sports team.

Is that not an example of another person being well paid to "do their job"?

To play devils advocate, how many peoples lives did said surgeon affect last year? Vs RM?

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#1494844 18-Feb-2016 12:20

Geektastic:
I wonder why, for example, the heart surgeon who saved the most lives in NZ last year was not on the shortlist (whoever that was - I have no idea). Seems to me a more important function than captaining a sports team.

*sigh* Richie MCCaw, the other ABs and Super players do considerable community work. They also contribute a lot the the good spirit of this nation and generate a lot of international exposure for this country.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

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#1494852 18-Feb-2016 12:25

networkn: RM has been an amazing role model and ambassador and sits right up there with Sir Edmund Hillary in my opinion as one of our greatest ever Kiwi's.

Hillary, who as well as climbing mountains and leading expeditions to the North and South Pole and the Ganges, was also High Commissioner to India (including High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Nepal), founded the Himalayan Trust and worked tirelessly providing health and education opportunities to the Sherpa people, and actively worked in New Zealand for abortion law reform?

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