Para Sport Awards 2025: New Zealand receives Community Impact and Best Member award
Paralympics New Zealand’s "We'll Give You Something to Talk About" campaign was launched ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and reached millions of people 21 Nov 2025
Paralympics New Zealand has received two Para Sport Awards 2025, the Community Impact Award and Best Member Award, in recognition of its campaign ‘We’ll Give You Something To Talk About’, launched before the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Paralympics New Zealand’s (PNZ) campaign aimed to encourage Kiwis to look at Para athletes through a different lens. It featured Paralympians portrayed using negative comments and pushed them to succeed using the tagline ‘We’ll Give You Something To Talk About’. With support of media and broadcast partners, the campaign featured static and video adverts across TV, radio, digital, billboards and news.
The campaign reached a broadcast audience of 3.43 million (41.5 per cent of population), 140,000 website visits, an eight-fold increase in potential registrations, and 17.6 million (70 per cent organic) Meta audience over the Paris 2024 Games. YouTube achieved 2.1 million additional impressions (1.6 million total views), with 23 per cent view-through rates. PNZ’s Paralympic Education Programme also reached 406 schools, including thought-provoking questions to challenge conversations around disability and sport.
The New Zealand Paralympic Team’s awareness and affinity rose to an all-time high, from sixth to fourth among a list of most loved sports brands, and the Team continues to have the third highest brand affinity.
Commenting on winning the IPC Member Award, PNZ President and Chair Jana Rangooni said: “We are honoured to be recognised with the IPC Member Award at the Para Sport Awards. This recognition is testament to the collective efforts of PNZ, our Para athletes and the wider community in celebrating the power of the Paralympic Movement across Aotearoa New Zealand.
“Together with our member organisations, commercial and funding partners, PNZ continues to advocate for increased opportunities in Para sport, as we look ahead to the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 and LA28 Paralympic Games, and beyond. This Award recognises this commitment and the dedication of everyone involved in Para sport in New Zealand.”
On winning the Community Impact Award, PNZ CEO and Secretary General Greg Warnecke added, “We are immensely proud of our ‘We’ll Give You Something to Talk About’ campaign, which was created to challenge perceptions, spark important conversations, and celebrate the incredible achievements of our Para athletes and the wider disabled community.
“To have this work acknowledged and recognised with the Community Impact Award at the Para Sport Awards is a huge honour. It reinforces the importance of sharing authentic stories that resonate with all in Aotearoa New Zealand, to break down barriers, and inspire a more inclusive society.”
The 2025 Para Sport Awards celebrate those whose efforts have contributed to strengthening the impact of Para sports worldwide. The Community Impact award recognises the work of an IPC members or partner who have implemented an activity that has had a significant impact on their respective community. While the Member Award recognises the achievements of an IPC member, both on and off the field of play. Eligibility for both awards is between 1 May 2023 to 31 March 2025.
