Dynamite halfback Dylan Pledger (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) was named junior sportsman of the year at the New Zealand Maori Sports Awards at Tūrangawaewae Marae on Saturday night.
Pledger had an almost fairytale rise to prominence in 2025.
He had another exceptional campaign for the New Zealand under-20 team, who made the final of the world junior tournament, before setting the NPC alight with a series of dazzling performances for an exciting Otago team that made the NPC final for the first time in 20 years.
Pledger is already widely considered a future All Black, but he will first need to dip his toe into Super Rugby with the Highlanders for the first time.
World champion powerlifter Karlina Tongotea won the Albie Pryor Memorial Māori sportsperson of the year award.
Tongotea, a 32-year-old GP, won her second world title before setting a record in the 76kg class at the World Games in China.
Her record was set at 620kg, a combination of her successful attempts at the three powerlifting disciplines: squat (230kg), bench (130kg) and deadlift (260kg).
She was also named Māori sportswoman of the year.
Kiwis and Canberra Raiders prop Joseph Tapine was named sportsman of the year, Black Ferns starlet Braxton Sorensen-McGee claimed junior sportswoman honours, swimmer Cameron Leslie won the para-athlete award, and the New Zealand Maori under-18 rugby girls were named team of the year.
Canterbury NPC champion Marty Bourke (coach), rugby referee Ben O’Keeffe (official), and football identity Gordon Watson (administrator) also won awards.
Finally, Olympic canoeing great Lisa Carrington was inducted into the Māori Sports Hall of Fame.
