Life and Honorary Membership

Awarded in Recognition of outstanding service to the New Zealand Dragon Boat Association.

Membership to the NZDBA Lifetime Achievement Award/Life Membership (NZDBA Hall of Fame ) is the crowning achievement of a sporting career that represents the highest level of peer recognition for an individual's contribution to the sport of Dragon Boat in New Zealand.

The NZDBA Hall of Fame recognises and promotes the outstanding sporting achievements, integrity, and character of our members. It is an illustrious group of NZDBA’s most respected and celebrated champions that span the test of time. They are the best of the best, who through their achievements have made significant contribution to our dragon boat history and have inspired other dragon boaters to achieve their potential in both sport and life.

NZDBA has been privileged to date (December 2023) to be able to bestow Life Membership to:
Shane Petley, Noel Anderton, Meri Gibson, Deb Stevenson and Sooupu Perese

These people have been instrumental in driving development and excellence in our sport over the years at all levels.
The Dragon Boating community extends their heartiest congratulations for their magnificent contribution to Dragon Boating!

Life Membership is not given lightly nor is it given annually; it is earnt over time. We look forward to being able to award yet more NZDBA Lifetime Achievement/Life Membership Awards to other amazing recipients over time.

Recipients of the Life Membership:

2024 - Sooupu Perese (Auckland)
2023 - Deb Stevenson (Auckland)
2019 - Meri Gibson (Christchurch)
2018 - Noel Anderton (Christchurch)
2017 - Shane Petley (Hamilton)

NZDBA Board Award
This award was initiated by Meri Gibson in March 2010 and was first awarded to Noel Anderton as the then Chair of the NZDBA. The purpose of the award at that time was to acknowledge the work that Noel had done alongside Meri Gibson, Shane Petley, Sooupu Perese and Mary McAvoy in establishing the NZDBA as a national sports organisation, from it's early Dragon Boat festival origins.

Not to be confused with the NZDBA Lifetime Achievement Award/Life Membership, this award grew to become one that the NZDBA Board presented to people in our wonderful sport whom the board felt warranted specicial recognition for their exemplary service to the sport of Dragon Boating in Aotearoa - New Zealand in a given year.

In 2024 this award was presented again to Noel Anderton for his continued amazing work in and for our sport and the NZDBA deemed it fitting to retire this award at that time in respect of it's return to it's worthy original recipient.

The list of amazing people who have been recipients of this award over the years are:

Recipients of the NZDBA Board Award:
2023-2024 - Noel Anderton - Aoraki DBA - Final Recipient.
2022-2023 - Bill Lomas - Auckland DBA
2021-2022 - NOT PRESENTED
2020-2021 - Andrew Watson - Auckland DBA 
2019-2020 - Deb Stevenson - Auckland DBA
2018-2019 - Brooke Hargreaves - BOPDBC
2017-2018 - Gavin Ryan - Aoraki DBA
2016-2017 - Shane Petley - Waikato DBA
2015-2016 - Meri Gibson - Aoraki DBA
2014-2015 - Deb Stevenson - Auckland DBA
2013-2014 - Shane Petley - Waikato DBA
2012-2013 - Sooupu Perese - Auckland DBA
2011-2012 - Peter Mitchell - Aoraki DBA
2010-2011 - NOT PRESENTED
2009-2010 - Noel Anderton - Aoraki DBA - Inaugural Recipient