26 April 2025
This weekend, over 200 young athletes came together at King’s College in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, for the 2025 Halberg Games – a three-day national sports festival celebrating young New Zealanders with physical disabilities.
This year marked a special milestone – the 10th anniversary of the Halberg Games. Since its inception, the event has grown from 40 participants into a powerful platform for inclusion, pride and participation, and this year’s Games were a true celebration of a decade of impact.
Participants from across Aotearoa – from Northland to Southland – represented their regions with passion, showcasing determination and talent across a wide range of sports including athletics, boccia, powerchair football, and swimming.
This year’s event also included a special ANZAC Day service, where the Halberg whānau gathered at dawn to honour and remember the soldiers who fought for our country with a lap of silence around the King’s College athletics track – a moving moment of reflection and unity during the Games weekend.
Halberg Chief Executive, Tom Smith, says the Halberg Games is about more than just sport.
“For many of these young people who are often left out of school or community sport, this event is their moment to shine, to form friendships, and to be part of something that celebrates who they are.”
Beyond the competitive action, the Games included a vibrant festival zone filled with fun for the whole whānau. Supporters such CP Society, Milner Mobility, Paralympics NZ, Flight Centre Foundation, Mana Mokopuna, NZ Police, Outward Bound, and others joined the event, creating a village atmosphere for all involved. Halberg also proudly displayed its 10-year commemorative Games merchandise, designed by Youth Council member Dylan Lloyd.
23 Awards were presented to athletes and supporters for their amazing efforts across the weekend including:
Regional Team’s Most Valuable Team Members
Northland – Joshua Lilburn
Auckland – Tillie Kolomatangi
Waikato – Riley Fenn
Bay of Plenty – Will Morgan
Gisborne – Cory Newman
Hawkes Bay – Rocco Green
Taranaki – Amy Ellis
Whanganui – Isabel Venter
Manawatu – Harrison Atkins
Wellington – Lincoln Parker
Tasman – Joel Kindley
Canterbury – Amy Courtney
Mid-South Canterbury – Cochise Jones
Otago – Octavier Neal
Southland – Brooke Anderson
Flight Centre Foundation Supporter of the Games – Manawatu Cheer Squad, Eliza, Scarlet and Millie.
Lindsay Foundation Fair Play Award – Marion Buckley, Manawatu
Aotearoa Gaming Trust Spirit of the Games (Male) – Bailey Conlon, Bay of Plenty
Joyce Fisher Trust Spirit of the Games (Female) – Emily-Rose Coleman, Tasman
Milner Mobility Team Spirit of the Games – Team Tasman
David Levene Foundation Award for the Most Promising Athlete – Robert Hunt, Wellington.
ISPS Handa Moment of the Games – Ashley Nelson, Auckland
Sir Murray Halberg Cup MVP of the Halberg Games – Amy Ellis
