Hot on the heels of another successful Crankworx Rotorua event, the New Zealand leg of the international mountain biking festival has been announced as one of 16 finalists in the annual New Zealand Sport and Recreation Awards.

A finalist in the Event Excellence category, Crankworx Rotorua is run under the auspices of Mountain Bike Events Ltd, and is a joint venture between Skyline Rotorua, Tak Mutu and Rotorua District Council.

Crankworx Rotorua, which is endorsed by Cycling NZ and Sport Bay of Plenty, has just wrapped its third year in the Bay of Plenty city, having recently secured a 10-year contract to hold the event until 2027.

It's seen as a drawcard for Rotorua – in 2016 alone, the city experienced an economic boost of $8 million, thanks to the 35,000 spectators, 435 pro-athletes and 234 volunteers who participated in the event.

Crankworx Rotorua event director Takurua Mutu says it's truly humbling to be a finalist in this year's awards.

'Thousands of volunteer hours go into making Crankworx Rotorua one of the best biking festivals in the world and to be recognised by Sport NZ is a testament to the hundreds of people who bring the event to life.”

The New Zealand Sport and Recreation Awards, now in its 10th year, are organised by Sport NZ and presented in conjunction with its annual Connections Conference, which will this year be held in Auckland on May 29 and 30.

Other 2017 finalists in the Event Excellence category are Bowls NZ for the 2016 World Bowls Championships, Yachting NZ for the Aon 2016 Youth Sailing World Championships, and Waka Ama NZ for the Te Wananga o Aotearoa Waka Ama Sprint National Championships.

Chair of the judging panel Peter Dale says the number and range of outstanding nominations in every category points to the high-quality work being carried out across the sector.

'Nominations range from high performance campaigns which delivered great results at Rio to those showing the positive impact sport can have on social issues in communities.

'In total they exemplify just what sport and active recreation can do for our national wellbeing.”

Sport NZ general manager Geoff Barry says sport and recreation bodies need to think and act differently to attract New Zealanders, especially with the range of other pastimes on offer in today's technological world.

'We know overall participation has been declining. Our aim is to arrest that and we are delighted with the quality and range of this year's finalists, not least because they show us our partners are just as committed as we are to keeping the country active.”