Sports History NZ

The sport of horse racing has been Noel Harris' whole life. His father Jock was a Manawatū jockey and horse trainer, who won more than 350 races. Following in his father's footsteps, Noel rode his first winner at Foxton on 16 May 1970 and by the time he retired from racing in 2015, had ridden over two-thousand winners in New Zealand. He also won the jockeys' premiership in both New Zealand and Singapore. In 2018, Harris was inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame...and earlier this year was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the thoroughbred racing industry. These days, Harris lives in Mount Maunganui and is a mentor for apprentice jockeys.

In this segment we often go way back in time, but today we are focusing on somebody whose time is right here - right now. Finn Butcher won the gold medal in the inaugural Olympic kayak cross event at the Paris Olympic Games last year. That moment in time - on the water last year - catapulted 'The Butcher' from small town Alexandra into the nation's consciousness. Then, last month, after a public vote, he was awarded the Favourite Sporting Moment award at 2025 Halberg Awards for the emotional post-race embrace he enjoyed with his father.

In this segment we often go way back in time, but today we are doing something rare and focusing on the now. It takes a special kind of athlete to get this treatment, but current Olympic high jump champion Hamish Kerr fits the bill You might remember he won that gold medal after a jump off with American Shelby McEwen.

Today we're focusing on the career of rugby union legend Billy Stead. Billy Stead has been called "one of the most influential players in the early years of All Blacks rugby". He was the first All Blacks test captain when they played Britain's touring team in 1904, and vice captain to the 1905-to-06 original All Blacks squad. Lynn McConnell is an historian, sports journalist, and prolific author and he's just published 'Billy Stead's Rugby World'.

She was once the captain of the Aotearoa Māori Sevens team and was with them through five victories at the Hong Kong Women's Sevens tournament. In 2003 she was part of the Kiwi Ferns squad that took out the Rugby League World Cup. She's continued to play a crucial role in the game - both here and abroad - since transitioning into coaching in 2012. Mere Baker discussed her remarkable career with Emile Donovan.

Sean Fitzpatrick never wanted to lead the All Blacks but when nobody else was available, he stepped up, and became one of the great sporting leaders the country has seen. He joins Jesse Mulligan to talk about his relationship with rugby and whether having an All-Black father helped or hindered his career.