Olympic and world champion Hamish Bond has retained his stranglehold on the Otago rower of the year award.
The six-time world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medallist scooped the award for the fifth consecutive year at an awards night at the Cromwell Rowing Club on Saturday. It was the seventh time the 30-year-old had won the supreme award.
Bond and crewmate Eric Murray, undefeated in the men's coxless pair since they teamed up in late 2008, defended their world title for the fifth time at the world rowing championships in France in September.
The win extended the pair's unbeaten international run to 21 races and means they have now won more than 60 top-level international events.
Bond rows for the North End Rowing Club but now lives in Cambridge, where he is training with the New Zealand team before this year's Rio Olympics.
Otago University Rowing Club member Hazel Cunliffe won the club rower of the year award.
Cunliffe, with University team-mate Natasha Bonham-Carter, won gold in the women's club coxless pair at the national championships on Lake Karapiro in February. She also won silver with the women's club coxless quad.
That success followed a double sculls win with Bonham-Carter and a coxless quad sculls victory at the South Island championships on Lake Ruatawhina in January.
The men's school rower of the year award went to Waitaki Boys High School's Mark Taylor, who won gold in the under-17 single sculls at last month's Maadi Cup on Lake Ruatawhina.
He was also part of the Oamaru Rowing Club crew which won gold in the coxless quad sculls at the South Island championships and came third at the national championships.
Columba College's Heidi Wright was named women's school rower of the year.
Wright was part of the Columba under-18 lightweight coxed four which won gold at both the Maadi Cup and the South Island secondary schools championships on Lake Ruatawhina in March.
The successful team was named crew of the year.
Wright was also part of the school's under-17 coxed eight which took bronze at the Maadi Cup.
Otago University Rowing Club's Matthew Smaill was named coach of the year.
Otago rower of the year
The winners
Rower of the year: Hamish Bond (North End Rowing Club)
Club rower of the year: Hazel Cunliffe (Otago University Rowing Club).
Administrator/official of the year: Lauren Farnden (St Hilda's Collegiate).
Crew of the year: Columba College under-18 lightweight coxed four.
Coach of the year: Matthew Smaill (Otago University Rowing Club).
Male school rower of the year: Mark Taylor (Waitaki Boys' High School).
Female school rower of the year: Heidi Wright (Columba College).
Coxswain of the year: Margot Darling (Columba College).
Novice crew of the year: Dunstan Arm Rowing Club novice coxed quad sculls.
Masters rower of the year: Simon Smith (Dunstan Arm Rowing Club).
