Sir Murray Halberg receives Blake Medal for leadership
Sir Murray and six Emerging Leaders recognised at Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards.
Sir Murray Halberg was awarded the Blake Medal at the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards tonight, for his contribution of more than 50 years service to athletics and children with disabilities.
Already this year, the 75 year-old has been appointed to the Order of New Zealand, the highest honour in the land.
Sir Murray becomes the fourth recipient of the Blake Medal, the supreme accolade of the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards, which were presented by Pippa, Lady Blake and His Excellency, The Honourable Anand Satyanand, Governor-General of New Zealand at a black tie function at Parliament.
Chair of the selection panel, Sir Ron Carter says Sir Murray, whose leadership style is to encourage others to reach their full potential, is wholeheartedly deserving of this award.
“Sir Murray never fails to compliment those who trained him, those who trained with him, and who added their energy to his in developing the Halberg Trust. It is precisely this attitude to building a team that has earned him the honour of the Blake Medal.
“Leadership is not about self glory, it is about inspiring the team to achieve more than they could as individuals. Through the inspiration of his team, Sir Murray is the epitome of a person who deserves the Blake Medal for outstanding Leadership.”
As well as honouring one outstanding leader, the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards also recognise six Emerging Leaders demonstrating considerable potential.
The 2008 Emerging Leaders are (in alphabetical order by surname):
| Name | Title | Pursuit | Age | Region |
| Keriana Brooking | CEO | Turanganui Primary Health Organisation | 37 | Gisborne |
| Rebecca Caughey | Managing Director | Funktion Music Limited | 26 | Auckland |
| Julie Helson | General Manager | KidsCan Charitable Trust | 35 | Auckland |
| Oscar Kightley | Writer, actor, director and TV presenter | Bro’ Town, Sione’s Wedding | 38 | Auckland |
| Michael Sabin | Director | Methcon Group Limited | 39 | Whangarei |
| Sarah Ulmer | Cyclist, Director | World and Olympic champion cyclist; SUB (Sarah Ulmer Brand Limited) | 31 | Cambridge |
Speaking at the awards function Pippa, Lady Blake said the Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Awards provide an opportunity to recognise leaders operating in all areas of society across the nation.
“The Trust encourages the Emerging Leaders to continue to grow by giving them the recognition and expectation that they need to do this for the good of New Zealand.
“We consider this will not only benefit their communities of interest now, but will develop leadership ‘capital’ for the future,” she added.
The Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards were established in 2005 to recognise and promote leadership as a worthy goal.
The Awards are open to all New Zealanders and selection includes a rigorous process reviewing nominations for leaders from all sectors of society.
The selection panel for this year’s awards included a stellar cast of New Zealand leaders in their own right including: Sir Ron Carter (Chair); Eion Edgar, John Graham, Dr Lester Levy, Sir Wilson Whineray, Fran Wilde, Mick Brown and Sir John Anderson, himself a Blake Medalist in 2005.
The Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards kick-start New Zealand Leadership Week, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of great leadership and showcase the work that is being done to develop leadership capability throughout the country.