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Congratulations to our 2023 Bunnings Home Ground Heroes.

Touch New Zealand and Bunnings are proud to announce this year’s winners of Bunnings Home Ground Heroes, an initiative that recognises and celebrates the central figures in the Touch community who make a significant impact to the sport. 

For the second year running, the initiative called on the Touch community to nominate a Home Ground Hero who goes above and beyond the call of duty in support of the game; those who help on the sidelines, behind-the-scenes or on the field, to make the game better for all involved. 

Five winners were selected from 168 nominations from across Aotearoa, demonstrating the number of unsung heroes throughout the Touch community. Each winner will receive $5,000 to reinvest back into their Touch modules and community. 

The five Home Ground Heroes include:

• Edie-May Johnson (Counties Manukau)
• Ani Nock (Waikato)
• Stephanie Phipps (Taranaki)
• Anaru Bartlett (Hawkes Bay)
• Liesel Van Schalkwyk (Canterbury)