Mairangi Bay lifeguards Steve Kent and Danielle Mckenzie have taken out the top sportspeople awards at the Surf Life Saving Northern Region’s annual Awards of Excellence.

The Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year titles were announced at the Toyota Financial Services-sponsored Awards ceremony in Auckland on 17 July.

A former Olympic swimmer, Kent got his Surf Lifeguard Award in 2002 and quickly became a strong name in the sports scene as both an athlete and leader. Dominating the Pool Rescue events in New Zealand for a number of years, Kent led his team in taking home 11 medals, including five golds, at the 2020 Surf Life Saving New Zealand National Pool Rescue Championships.

Widely considered as New Zealand’s top performing female iron person, Danielle Mckenzie took out the top Sports Woman category for the fourth consecutive year in a row. Competing as a member of Northcliffe’s senior squad in Queensland Australia, Mckenzie was awarded four team golds, two individual silvers, and a team bronze in a massive summer.

Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club has consistently dominated the top sportsman and sportswoman categories, with athletes from their club winning both categories for the past four years in a row.

Other finalists for the prestigious titles included Mairangi Bay’s Rachel Clarke and Joe Wilson, Lucy Makaea (Piha Surf Life Saving Club), and James Scott (Ōrewa Surf Life Saving Club).

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