Speech to Wanganui and Districts sports awards, Wanganui Function Centre

Thank you for inviting me here this evening. It’s a privilege to be with you to celebrate achievements in sport in the Wanganui region.

This year will be huge for New Zealand sport on the international scene. We have a good chance of seeing New Zealand victories in the Rugby World Cup, the Netball World Cup and the America’s Cup. We also have an outside chance in the Cricket World Cup.

Our success in international sports starts in places like Wanganui. This city has produced 24 All Blacks, including Bill Osborne and Andy Haden, the "Minister of Lurks and Perks" as he was known during his playing days, although I don’t think he ever had to sit through a Cabinet meeting.

Wanganui is a hotbed of rowing talent - many members of the current New Zealand rowing squad are based here, and of course Richard Tonks, the world’s best rowing coach, is from the river city.

Phillippa Baker-Hogan, Gary Anderson and Peter Belliss are other names that come to mind, and have all represented New Zealand at the highest level and are icons in their respective sports.

This weekend we are celebrating that proud history of sporting achievement in Wanganui.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to recognise the organisers of this weekend’s events: Wanganui Incorporated; Athletics New Zealand; Athletics Wanganui; and Wanganui Collegiate School.

In particular, I would like to recognise Sport and Recreation Wanganui, your regional sports trust, which helps organise and promote sport and recreation opportunities for everyone in the Wanganui region.

Tomorrow you will have the chance to watch some of the world’s top athletes competing in the Mayor’s Mile on the Cook’s Gardens track.

New Zealand has a proud history in the sub four-minute mile. With more sub four-minute miles than any other track in New Zealand, Cook’s Garden has proven to be magical for some athletes, and I am sure tomorrow will be no different.

Athletes like Jurgen May and Kip Keino and Peter Snell were part of a golden era of New Zealand athletics and the sub four-minute mile, and Cooks Gardens was a central feature of that.

Many fantastic races have been run at Cooks Gardens - one of the highlights being on 11 December 1965 when Jurgen May set a track record with a time of 3.53.8 minutes – just 0.2 seconds off the world record set earlier in the year - with the legendary Kip Keino right on his heels in second place. This track record was only broken on 11 February last year by Nick Willis, who went on to win a gold medal in the 1500m at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

I probably don’t need to remind you that Wanganui is also the home of New Zealand's first sub four-minute mile when Peter Snell ran a world record at Cook’s Gardens 45 years ago on 27 January 1962.

There are now generations of New Zealanders who look up to athletes like Peter Snell, who helped New Zealand cement an international reputation for excellence in middle distance running. Some of those athletes are here with us tonight, including Cooks Gardens track record holder Nick Willis.

Unfortunately I am unable to stay for Mayoral Mile tomorrow which means I will miss the celebrity race and an opportunity to beat Nick’s record.

But tonight is about the Wanganui Sports Awards and the stars of today. These awards recognise the athletes, coaches, officials, administrators and clubs that are integral to sport in your community.

My congratulations to all of you who have been nominated tonight. Your contributions to sport in Wanganui and beyond deserve recognition. I hope you all have a wonderful evening tonight, and a great day tomorrow.