New Zealand women’s captain Amelia Kerr won big at the NZC awards on Thursday, scooping up the Debbie Hockley Medal for being the women’s cricketer of the year for the fourth time in a row. New Zealand seamer Jacob Duffy took away its male counterpart, the Sir Richard Hadlee medal, after toppling Hadlee’s record for most wickets by a New Zealander in a calendar year, in 2025.

Amelia eased into a full-time leadership role, with Player of the Series performances in the home T20I series against both Zimbabwe and South Africa during the summer. She had also won the Player of the Series award against Zimbabwe in the ODI leg of the series.

“Quite simply, we’re talking about a dominant force in every facet of the game, and one of the most influential players in women’s cricket history,” Debbie Hockley said as she presented the medal to Amelia.

As for Duffy, he stepped up as New Zealand’s spearhead after their attack was ravaged by injuries during the Test series against West Indies. Duffy picked up 23 wickets in six innings at an average of 15.43. In the first Test against West Indies in Christchurch, he wheeled away for 43 overs in the final innings.

“Jacob’s durability, consistency, and ability to take wickets in pressure moments made him the most complete bowling performer of the season,” Hadlee said.

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Duffy also bagged the Test Player of the Year award and the Winsor Cup for men’s first-class bowling, becoming one of the few players to win three major awards in a single evening.

Wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert won the men’s T20I Player of the Year award after playing a central role in New Zealand’s run to the final. During the competition, Seifert scored 326 runs in eight innings at an average of 46.57 and strike rate of 166.32.

Amelia also claimed the Women’s T20 Player of the Year award while her elder sister Jess Kerr was named Women’s Domestic Player of the Year and Super Smash Women’s Player of the Year.

Former New Zealand seamer, board director, board chair, and NZC chief executive Martin Snedden was recognised with the Bert Sutcliffe Medal for outstanding services to cricket.

“It’s widely agreed the time, energy, and passion Martin’s provided, as well as the scope of his influence, places him in a very small club of those who have made the greatest single contribution to cricket in New Zealand,” NZC Chair Diana Puketapu-Lyndon said of Snedden.

NZC formally inducted former allrounders Jeremy Coney and Haidee Tiffen into the NZC Hall of Fame, the first additions since the inaugural “First Eleven” last year, on Thursday.

2026 New Zealand Cricket Awards winners

Debbie Hockley Medal: Melie Kerr
Sir Richard Hadlee Medal: Jacob Duffy
Bert Sutcliffe Medal: Martin Snedden
Test Player of the Year: Jacob Duffy
Men’s ODI Player of the Year: Daryl Mitchell
Women’s ODI Player of the Year: Brooke Halliday
Men’s T20I Player of the Year: Tim Seifert
Women’s T20I Player of the Year: Melie Kerr
Men’s Domestic Player of the Year: Henry Nicholls
Women’s Domestic Player of the Year: Jess Kerr
Super Smash Men’s Player of the Year: Katene Clarke
Super Smash Women’s Player of the Year: Jess Kerr
Redpath Cup (men’s first-class batting): Henry Nicholls
Ruth Martin Cup (women’s domestic batting): Kate Anderson
Winsor Cup (men’s first-class bowling): Jacob Duffy
Phyl Blackler Cup (women’s domestic bowling): Jess Kerr
Umpire of the Year: Chris Gaffaney