About the Halberg Trust

Halberg Trust Vision:

That we have a society where all New Zealanders are given an equal opportunity to be involved in sport and recreation, and where we take pride in honouring sport excellence.

Halberg Trust Mission:

The Halberg Trust will honour sporting excellence and link people with a disability to sport and active leisure.

Founder and History - Sir Murray Halberg

 

Born in 1933, Sir Murray is a recognizable figure in his own right. Sir Murray is married to Phyllis with three children and lives in Auckland.

Sir Murray is the Founder of the Halberg Trust established 1963, and the person behind re-inventing New Zealand's Sportsman of the Year Awards. Awarded his Knighthood in 1987.

Even in an assembly of the greats of sport, there are some who rank higher in public perception than others. Such a man is Murray Halberg, who won the Sportsman of the Year Award for winning the three miles at the Empire games in Cardiff, but whose feats spanned more than a decade on running tracks and whose deeds transcend sport.

Halberg competed at the Empire Games in Vancouver in 1954 and the Olympics in Melbourne in 1956 before his Cardiff gold medal, but his greatest success was his winning the 5000 meters at the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960. He also won the three miles at the Empire Games in Perth in 1962, set world two and three miles records and was the first New Zealander, in Dublin in 1958, to run a mile in under four minutes.

But it has been Halberg's selfless dedication to the welfare of children with disabilities in New Zealand, manifested through the Halberg Trust that has won him his greater fame and his higher accolades, including a knighthood in 1987 and New Zealand's highest honour. In the June 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours, Halberg was appointed to New Zealand's highest non titular honour, the Order of New Zealand. The following month he became only the fourth person to be awarded the Blake Medal, named after fellow countryman Sir Peter Blake, for his more than 50 years' service to athletics, and to children with disabilities.

In 2009 Sir Murray Halberg was named the 94th New Zealand Olympian. Sir Murray was presented with his uniquely numbered pin as part of a four year long project to celebrate New Zealand's Olympic history. In total 1111 people have now represented New Zealand in the Olympics.

Halberg Trust History

Sir Murray Halberg launched the Halberg Trust (originally called the Murray Halberg Trust for Crippled Children) in 1963 after attending a fundraising function in Toronto.

The luncheon had been staged to raise money for disabled children so they could achieve their sporting potential. Sir Murray, guest speaker at the event, was so impressed by the concept that he approached his employers to see if they would back a similar event in New Zealand.

The response was a definite “yes” and the rest is history. While the Trust’s name may have changed, it remains committed to recognising sporting excellence through the Westpac Halberg Awards along with assisting young people with a disability participate in sport and active leisure.