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 and Deb Stevenson.
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All four have contributed an amazing amount of time to the development of dragon boat in New Zealand and for Meri also internationally. All four have served time on their respective RSO’s and Shane, Noel and Meri have also served time on the NZDBA Board. With the three of them holding various portfolios and the role of Chair (President) of NZDBA. 

They have been instrumental in implementing several changes nationally, whilst Deb has led the NZDBA Nationals Event and OC portfolios for many years. 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 would very much like to see others step up in the same way as these four individuals in developing and growing the sport of dragon boating and we look forward to being able to award yet more NZDBA Lifetime Achievement/Life Membership Awards (NZDBA Hall of Fame). 

Current Recipients of the Life Membership:

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. 
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The purpose of the award in the first instance was to acknowledge the work that Noel Anderton had done alongside Meri Gibson and others in establishing NZDBA as a national sports organisation moving away from a festival entity. 

Noel was in his term as chair/president and had seen through many changes in the organisation over his tenure.

The award is to recognise excellence to the service of NZDBA (not to be confused with the NZDBA Lifetime Achievement Award/Life Membership) and does not have to be awarded to a board member, it can be awarded to anybody who exemplifies this excellence of service. 

While this award is an NZDBA board award and discussed by various board members each year, Meri has always sought counsel from others and on this determines the recipient based on the broad criteria that she initially set. It does not have to be awarded annually and if there is no worthy recipient in a particular year then the current holder keeps it until the next year. 

Current Recipients of the NZDBA Board Award:

2023-2024 - ___TBC___
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