Hunt, who was only called into the squad at the start of the season due to injuries, is the top-equal tackler in the entire Super Rugby competition.
In the 11 matches he has played for the Highlanders so far this season, he has made 128 tackles, which has him tied with Sharks loose forward Jean-Luc de Preez.
Hunt has made a big impact this year and has now played more than twice as many games for the Highlanders as he has for Otago.
He again had a stand-out effort on Saturday night in the win over the Waratahs.
It has been a meteoric rise for Hunt and shows it is all about seizing the opportunity at this level.
He came into the squad after knee injuries to Dan Pryor and James Lentjes, along with a concussion-related illness for Shane Christie.
Pryor and Lentjes have got over their injuries and played club rugby last Saturday, but it will be hard to drop Hunt after such an outstanding year.
Christie has been withdrawn for the rest of the season.
Highlanders lock Tom Franklin is also playing well in defence, having made 118 tackles in the season, the sixth-equal-highest of any player in the competition.
The Highlanders average 121 tackles a game, the second-highest of any team.
And when the side tackles, it does it well. Its tackle success percentage sits at 87%, the second-highest of any team in the competition.
The Highlanders' style of play includes much kicking of the ball into the opponent's territory and they average more than 29 kicks from hand during play, the highest in the competition.
The Highlanders, though, have been doing well on attack, as have all New Zealand sides. The southern franchise averages nearly 32 points a game, the fourth-highest of all sides.
The Hurricanes top the points scoring, averaging nearly 44 points a game.
The leading try-scorer in the competition is Hurricanes outside back Vince Aso, who has scored 13 tries so far.
The leading try-scorers for the Highlanders are Matt Faddes, Malakai Fekitoa and Waisake Naholo, who have all scored six.
All up, the Highlanders have scored 53 tries, the fourth-best in the competition but still well short of the Hurricanes. The side from the capital has crossed for 77 tries this season.
Naholo has made 19 clean breaks in the competition, which is the highest for the Highlanders but still some way short of Lions winger Courtnall Skosan, who has made 30 clean breaks.
Marty Banks is third on the points-scoring list with 113 points. Lions first five-eighth Elton Jantjies is top, having scored 137 points.
The Lions continued on their winning way yesterday with a comprehensive 54-10 margin over the Kings in Port Elizabeth.