Bay of Plenty athletes, including Lisa Carrington and Kane Williamson, are in the running for the 55th Halberg Awards.

The Halberg Foundation has announced 71 nominations have been received for six categories in the nation's pre-eminent event to honour and celebrate sporting achievements by New Zealand teams and athletes in 2017.

Twenty seven different sports are represented in the nominations, which have been submitted from National Sports Organisations. The nominations go to the Halberg Awards Voting Academy for judging to be shortlisted into finalists.

2016 Halberg Supreme Award winner Lisa Carrington is nominated with Caitlin Ryan in the Team of the Year category. The award has received the most nominations with 17 teams from 11 sports including the Black Ferns, Black Sox, All Whites, Men's Team Pursuit and Emirates Team New Zealand.

Sixteen athletes from 12 sports have been put forward for the Sportsman of the Year award. The hotly contested category includes: Tom Walsh, Kane Williamson, Beauden Barrett, Brendon Hartley and Michael Venus.

The 2016 High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year Lisa Carrington, is nominated again in the female category. Carrington is joined by seven others including; Ali Riley, Amy Satterthwaite, Portia Woodman, Roisin Giles and Sarah Goss.

Seven nominations have come in for the Halberg Disabled Sportsperson of the Year award including four time winner Sophie Pascoe. Corey Peters, Holly Robinson, Jessica Hamill, Keegan Pitcher, Stephen Hills and William Stedman round out the list.

Nominees for the Disabled Sportsperson, Sportsman, Sportswoman and Team of the Year categories will all be eligible for the supreme Halberg Award – the country's highest accolade for sporting excellence. The Award is presented to the athlete or team whose achievement is deemed by the judges as representing excellence in sport at the highest level.

Gordon Walker - Lisa Carrington's coach - is nominated again for the category he won in 2016. Ten nominations have been received for the Buddle Findlay Coach of the Year Award from eight sports including; Dale Stevenson (Tom Walsh), Mark Sorenson (Black Sox), Glenn Moore (Black Ferns) and Murray Jones and Ray Davies (Emirates Team New Zealand).

The Emerging Talent award has received 13 nominations for junior athletes who have all been successful on the national and international stages including; netballer Tiana Metuarau, freeskier Nico Porteous, golfer Daniel Hillier, footballer Anna Leat, Para swimmer Chris Arbuthnott and pole vaulter Olivia McTaggart.

The Emerging Talent category is designed to assist in a young athletes' quest to become an Olympic, Paralympic and/or World Champion and hopefully one day the Halberg Award. Previous winners have included; Lydia Ko, Sam Webster and Eliza McCartney.

The Halberg Awards judges now have the arduous task of reviewing all the nominations to decide a shortlist of finalists which will be announced in January 2017.

The 55th Halberg Awards ceremony will be held on Thursday February 8, 2018 at Spark Arena in Auckland and televised live on SKY SPORT. Other awards presented during the ceremony include; New Zealand's Favourite Sporting Moment (public vote category), Sport New Zealand Leadership, Lifetime Achievement and inductees into the Sports Hall of Fame.

The annual Halberg Awards is the major fundraiser for the Halberg Foundation, the charity set up by Olympic champion Sir Murray Halberg (ONZ) in 1963 to enhance the lives of physically disabled young New Zealanders by enabling them to participate in sport and recreation.

The core work of Halberg is a team of Advisers based around the country who connect physically disabled young people to sport and recreation opportunities. The Halberg Advisers also deliver inclusive training on adapting sports and support clubs, schools and organisations to provide inclusive events and programmes. The Foundation also hosts the Halberg Junior Disability Games - a national three day sports competition for physically disabled young people.

'2017 was another year for New Zealand of outstanding sporting success on the international stage,” says Halberg Foundation chief executive Shelley McMeeken.

'We look forward to celebrating these in February. The Awards coincide with the Halberg Foundation's 55th anniversary and will be a wonderful night to recognise the vision of our founder Sir Murray Halberg, that all New Zealanders have the opportunity to experience the many health, fitness and well-being benefits of being included in sport.”

Full list of nominations for the 55th Halberg Awards:

Sportsman of the Year (Eligible for the supreme Halberg Award)

Aaron Gate (Cycling), Aiken Hakes (Croquet), Beauden Barrett (Rugby Union), Brendon Hartley (Motorsport), Chris Wood (Football), Ethan Mitchell (Cycling), George Bennett (Cycling), Jason Wynyard (Wood Chopping), Joel Henare (Shearing Sports), John Kirkpatrick (Shearing Sports), Kane Williamson (Cricket), Michael Venus (Tennis), Peter Michael (Ice Speed Skating), Robbie Manson (Rowing), Sam Gaze (Cycling), Tom Walsh (Athletics).

High Performance Sport New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year (Eligible for the supreme Halberg Award)

Ali Riley (Football), Amy Satterthwaite (Cricket), Annabelle Anderson (Stand Up Paddleboard), Gase Sanita (Mixed Martial Arts), Lisa Carrington (Canoe Racing), Portia Woodman (Rugby Union), Roisin Giles (Taekwon-Do), Sarah Goss (Rugby Union).

Halberg Disabled Sportsperson of the Year (Eligible for the supreme Halberg Award)

Corey Peters (Para alpine skiing), Holly Robinson (Para athletics), Jessica Hamill (Para athletics), Keegan Pitcher (Para athletics), Sophie Pascoe (Para swimming), Stephen Hills (Para cycling), William Stedman (Para athletics).

Team of the Year (Eligible for the supreme Halberg Award)

All Whites (Football), Black Ferns (Rugby Union), Black Ferns Sevens (Rugby Union), Black Sox (Softball), Brendon Hartley & Earl Bamber (Motorsport), Brooke Donoghue & Olivia Loe (Rowing), Emirates Team NZ (Yachting), Men's Double – Chris Harris & John Storey (Rowing), Men's Team Pursuit – Regan Gough, Pieter Bulling, Dylan Kennett, Nick Kergozou (Cycling), Men's Team Sprint – Eddie Dawkins, Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster (Cycling), NZ Shearing and Woolhandling Team (Shearing Sports), NZ International Taekwon-Do Team (Taekwon-Do), NZ Under 21 Team (Netball), Women's 49erFX - Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (Yachting), Women's Coxless Pair – Grace Prendergast & Kerri Gowler (Rowing), Women's K2 – Lisa Carrington & Caitlin Ryan (Canoe Racing), Women's Team Pursuit – Racquel Sheath, Rushlee Buchanan, Kirstie James, Jaime Nielsen, Michaela Drummond (Cycling).

Buddle Findlay Coach of the Year

Anthony Peden (Cycling), Dale Stevenson (Athletics), Gary Hay (Rowing), Glenn Moore (Rugby Union), Gordon Walker (Canoe Racing), Mark Sorenson (Softball), Murray Jones and Ray Davies (Yachting), Nathan Handley (Yachting), Simon Finnel (Cycling), Stu MacDonald (Para cycling).

Emerging Talent:

Anna Leat (Football), Bianca Koper (Taekwon-Do), Chris Arbuthnott (Para swimming), Daniel Hillier (Golf), Ellesse Andrews (Cycling), Felix Webby (Croquet), Hannah Knighton (Triathlon), Josh Armit (Yachting), Kanah Andrews-Nahu (Olympic Weightlifting), Matthew MacDonald (Rowing), Nico Porteous (Freeski), Olivia McTaggart (Athletics), Tiana Metuarau (Netball).