Three exceptional members of Wānaka’s snowsport community have been named in the New Year’s Honours List today (Saturday December 31).

Corey Peters, Nico Porteous, and Zoi Sadowski-Synnott have all been appointed to be members of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Corey was honoured for his services to sit-skiing, and Nico and Zoi were honoured for their services to snow sports.

Paralympic powerhouse: Corey Peters

Corey has represented New Zealand in sit-skiing since 2011, after sustaining a crushed spinal cord in a motocross accident in 2009.

He won gold in the men’s adaptive sit-ski event at the Para Snowboard Winter Games at

Cardrona Alpine Resort in 2011. He became a silver medallist in his first Paralympics at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Winter Games, followed by winning bronze in the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. 

He placed fourth at the 2022 World Para Snow Sports Championships and won a bronze medal in the Super-G World Cup soon after. He won the overall Super-G Crystal Globe in 2016 and claimed world titles in Downhill and Super-G, and a silver medal in the Giant Slalom at the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in 2015. 

He became a gold medallist at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics in the Men’s Downhill Sitting event, describing his winning run as “the best run of my life”. 

He had recovered from Covid-19 just weeks before, and went on to claim a further silver in the Men’s Super-G Sitting event. 

Corey has been the flag-bearer for three closing ceremonies of the Winter Paralympic Games, and was named Adaptive Athlete of the Year by Snow Sports New Zealand in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022.

Mentoring medallist: Nico Porteous

Nico Porteous PHOTO: Tommy Pyatt Photography

Nico Porteous won a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics at just 16 years of age in the men’s halfpipe and became New Zealand’s second Winter Olympic gold medallist with his win in men’s freeski halfpipe at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

His 2018 bronze medal was the first time a New Zealand male had won a Winter Olympic medal, of only three Winter Olympics medals won by New Zealand by that time. 

He won gold at the 2021 X Games in the Superpipe event and became New Zealand’s first Freeski Halfpipe World Champion the same year. He won gold in the freeski halfpipe at the United States Grand Prix World Cup in 2022 and defended his title by winning gold in the Superpipe during the 2022 X Games. 

Nico has mentored younger skiers and snowboarders in New Zealand, encouraging them towards their goals. He has attended club and community fundraising events and has given his time to promote snow sports in New Zealand. 

Nico has been recognised with the Snow Sports New Zealand Freeskier of the Year in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, as well as several Central Otago and Otago Sportsmen of the Year awards

Making history: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott after being presented with the Lonsdale Cup last week. PHOTO: Wānaka App

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott became the second New Zealander to win a Winter Olympic medal with her bronze medal in the women’s big air event at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

She won gold in the slopestyle at the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming New Zealand’s first gold medallist at a Winter Olympics, followed with a silver medal in the big air event. 

In 2019 she completed the triple crown of the United States Open title, an X Games gold medal and FIS Snowboard World Championship title. She won silver in the slopestyle event at the 2017 FIS Snowboard World Championships and gold at the 2021 World Championships. 

Zoi has won further gold, silver and bronze medals at the Winter X Games between 2020 and 2022 in slopestyle and big air events. She won the slopestyle event at the 2021 Winter Dew Tour in Colorado. 

Zoi has also mentored younger snow sports athletes in New Zealand, attended club and community fundraising events and given her time to promote snow sports in New Zealand. 

Read more: Snowboarding like a pro: Zoi Sadowski Synnott

She was awarded Snow Sports New Zealand Snowboarder of the Year between 2018 and 2021 and several regional Sportsperson of the Year awards

Just last week Zoi was awarded the prestigious Lonsdale Cup at a ceremony on the Wānaka lakefront.

New Zealand Olympic Committee CEO Nicki Nicol said Zoi created history when she won New Zealand’s first ever winter Olympic gold medal.

“Zoi, you are a leader in your sport and you inspire many young New Zealanders, particularly young women, to live healthier lives and to follow their sporting dreams,” Nicki said.

“It is hard to believe that at 21 years of age she [Zoi] is still inspiring so many, with so much potential ahead.”