Kerr and Henry take away top honours in New Zealand Cricket Awards

Amelia Kerr and Matt Henry won top honours at the New Zealand Cricket Awards on Wednesday. Kerr won the Debbie Hockley Medal for being the women's cricketer of the year while Henry took away its men's counterpart, the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal.

Kerr, 24, won the top honour for an unprecedented third consecutive year in a row. She starred in New Zealand's maiden Women's T20 World Cup win last year. She finished with 15 wickets, the most in the competition, and 135 runs, the third-most for New Zealand. She was named Player of the Match in the final and took home the Player-of-the-Tournament award as well and later was named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year, winning the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

At the NZC awards, Kerr also swept away the Women's ODI and T20I Player of the Year awards. She averaged 33 with the bat and returned 14 wickets in ODIs. She captained Wellington Blaze to the title, and her 441 runs along with 15 wickets earned her the Women's Super Smash Player of the Year.

"Melie's consistency, skill, and passion for the game are an inspiration to us all, and I couldn't be prouder to see her name etched alongside mine once again," Debbie Hockley said while announcing the winner.

Apart from the men's cricketer of the year honours, Henry was also named New Zealand Men's Test Player of the Year. He picked up 25 wickets at an average of 20.08 in five matches, including eight wickets in the Bengaluru Test against India last year. Henry was also named the ODI Player of the Year, thanks to his 24 wickets at an average of 15.50. He was instrumental in New Zealand finishing runners-up at the Champions Trophy.

Jacob Duffy was named the Men's T20I Player of the Year after his 21 wickets at 9.71 made him No. 1 in the ICC men's T20I bowler rankings. Kane Williamson won the Redpath Cup for men's first-class batting, while Henry won the Winsor Cup for men's first-class bowling.

Eden Carson picked up 40 wickets in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, New Zealand's 50-over domestic competition for women, and starred with an unbeaten 59 off 43 balls for winners Otago in a thrilling final. That saw her being named the Women's Domestic Player of the Year.

The Bert Sutcliffe Medal for outstanding service to cricket was awarded to historian Francis Payne. It was in recognition of his contributions to the documentation and preservation of New Zealand cricket history, most notably through his long-standing, 42-year role as co-editor of the New Zealand Cricket Almanack, a publication regarded as the definitive resource for followers of the Kiwi game.

Chris Gaffaney, who is in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires for 2025-26, was named the Umpire of the Year.

Debbie Hockley Medal - Amelia Kerr
Sir Richard Hadlee Medal - Matt Henry
Bert Sutcliffe Medal for Outstanding Services to Cricket - Francis Payne
Test Player of the Year - Matt Henry
Men's ODI Player of the Year - Matt Henry
Women's ODI Player of the Year - Amelia Kerr
Men's T20I Player of the Year - Jacob Duffy
Women's T20I Player of the Year - Amelia Kerr

Men's Domestic Player of the Year - Brett Hampton
Women's Domestic Player of the Year - Eden Carson
Super Smash Men's Player of the Year - Tom Bruce
Super Smash Women's Player of the Year - Amelia Kerr
Redpath Cup (men's first-class batting) - Kane Williamson
Ruth Martin Cup (women's domestic batting) - Maddy Green
Winsor Cup (men's first-class bowling) - Matt Henry
Phyl Blackler Cup (women's domestic bowling) - Eden Carson
New Zealand Umpire of the Year - Chris Gaffaney