Two newbies inducted in Hall of Fame

Will Johnston

Photos: Stuff NZ

Golfer Grant Moorhead and softball player and coach Jarrad Martin joined an illustrious group of Taranaki sporting royalty on Friday night.

The pair passed strict criteria to be inducted into the Taranaki Sports Hall of Fame announced at the Taranaki Sports Awards. 

Inductees had to represent New Zealand in an international competition at a senior or open level or further their chosen sport or any other sport by dedicated service in coaching, management, officiation or administration at regional, national or international levels. They must also have had a widespread acknowledgement of their positive impact in their sport.

In a new initiative by Sport Taranaki, the organisation called for nominations from the public for the region's most prestigious sports award earlier this year. Previous inductees were decided by a panel, but the move was to improve the diversity of the Hall of Fame.

Moorhead’s golfing exploits span the globe and include a history-making triumph for New Zealand sport.

His amateur performance includes being part of the winning Eisenhower World Championship team in 1992 – the only time a New Zealand team has won this event. He also won many other individual trophies as an amateur, including the New Zealand Strokeplay Championship.

Moorhead has won 14 four-round tournaments as a professional around the world and chalked up another 23 wins in pro-am tournaments.

His professional golfing career began in the early 1990s with a record-setting win in the West Australian Open and during his career, he has won the New Zealand PGA Order of Merit twice and finished runner-up twice more.

A three-time winner of the overall Taranaki Sportsperson of the Year award, he has also picked up three Halberg Awards for sportsman and sports team of the year.

Now a qualified golf coach and on the Taranaki Golf executive committee, Moorhead is focused on coaching and mentoring while providing valuable input to create growth and improvements with clubs, competitions, player development and coaching programmes.

Moorhead accepted the award on the night and spoke about his fortunes and challenges during his career. 

Martin is recognised as one of the international greats of softball with a stellar playing career and a successful track record as a lead, coach and mentor.

He won the Junior World Championships, four senior World Championships and the International Softball Congress World Championships five times along with countless club, regional, national and international titles.

A member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to softball in 2004, Martin first made the Taranaki U12 team in the mid-1980s and was selected as a 16-year-old for the Junior Black Sox to contest the U19 World Championships. The side went on to win, with Martin taking pitching duties in the final. It was the last time a New Zealand junior team had tasted victory.

He went on to play 201 appearances for New Zealand including 136 test caps across a 17-year international career. He was inducted into the International Softball Hall of Fame in 2016.

Martin shifted to coaching in 2013 and led the Junior Black Sox to three podium appearances as an assistant coach before becoming head coach in 2020.

Martin was unable to be at the event but sent a video message from Mexico where he's coaching the New Zealand juniors. 

Nominations will open in 2025.

Taranaki Sports Hall of Fame members:
Frank van Hattum, Ross Brown, Sir Peter Snell, Duncan Laing, Stan Lay, Graham Mourie, Norman Read, Peter Burke, Sheryl George, Alistair Jordan, Howie Tamati, Dave Baldwin, Grant Moorhead, Jarrad Martin.