![](https://clubrugby.nz/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Webp.net-gifmaker.gif")
Above: Tawa halfback Kemara Hauiti-Parapara scored 2 tries in a Player of the Match performance when his side beat Wainuiomata in the first round. PHOTO: Barry Stead.
Tawa halfback Kemara Hauiti-Parapara is the winner of this year’s Billy Wallace Best & Fairest award. Hauiti-Parapara had amassed 21 points going into the past weekend’s last round of matches, three more than Petone halfback Logan Henry and 8 ahead of Wellington lock/loose forwad James Poloniati.
However with Henry’s club season over, and Poloniati only able to potentially amass 6 more points Hauiti-Parapara can’t be caught, in the competition that has been judged by match officials for the second consecutive season.
Hauiti-Parapara succeeds Poneke’s Greg Foe as the winner of the award – based on a 3-2-1 system and joins current teammates Hemi Fermanis (joint with Wainuiomata’s Ben Tupuola in 2017) and Peniasi Tokakece (2016) as recent winners from the Lyndhurst club, and is the first halfback to win it since Wellington’s Adam Deck in 2015 (shared with TJ Fermanis) and outright since Avalon’s Peter Sciascia in 2006.
The lively halfback and occasional goal-kicker has played 13 of 16 games so far this year for the Tawa Premiers, missing three matches of the Swindale Shield earlier in the campaign. As well as providing a possible championship winning link between backs and forwards, he has scored seven tries and amassed 41 points.
The quietly spoken Hauiti-Parapara was unavailable for comment this week, but the former junior grade prop turned halfback has this to say on his club’s profile. “There is no right way or wrong way, there is only a way.” Supporters and teammates will be hoping that it is the Jubilee Cup final way when they host Northern United at Lyndhurst Park this Saturday in the 2 vs 3 semi-final.
The former Wellington College captain, NZ Schools halfback and NZ U17 softballer made his Tawa Premier debut in the first round of the 2016 Swindale Shield and has played 62 times for Tawa in Wellington club rugby over the past four seasons.
In his second season for the Wellington Lions, he made seven starts and came off the bench twice more last year for the Lions on their road to the NPC 17-38 semi-final defeat to Auckland.
Hauiti-Parapara continues a long tradition of halfbacks to have won the Billy Wallace competition that was first awarded in 1966 and named after the former Poneke, Wellington and ‘Originals’ All Black fullback Billy ‘Carbine’ Wallace.
All up there have been eight halfbacks to have won or shared the Best & Fairest competition, with loose forward being the most common position with 29 winners.
Halfbacks to have won the Billy Wallace Best & Fairest competition have been:
Ian Stevens (Petone) 1968
Dave ‘Charlie’ Henderson (Wellington) 1974
Neil Sorenson (Marist St Pat’s) 1982
Neil Sorenson (Marist St Pat’s) 1983
Ofisa ‘Junior’ Tonu’u (Poneke) 1991
Peter Sciascia (Avalon) 2006
Adam Deck (Wellington) 2015
Kemara Hauiti-Parapara (Tawa) 2019
The last 15 winners of the Billy Wallace Best & Fairest competition have been:
2005: Jack Tarrant (Wests Roosters)
2006: Peter Sciascia (Avalon)
2007: Dane Coles (Poneke)
2008: Fa’atonu Fili (Marist St Pat’s)
2009: Misipalauni Monanau (Poneke)
2010: Mateaki Kafatolu (Petone)
2011: Liu Taituave (Marist St Pat’s)
2012: Sharn Eru (Wainuiomata) / Ardie Savea (Oriental-Rongotai)
2013: Sam Tui (Poneke)
2014: Ben Tupuola (Wainuiomata)
2015: TJ Fermanis (Tawa) / Adam Deck (Wellington)
2016: Peniasi Tokakece (Tawa)
2017: Ben Tupuola (Wainuiomata) / Hemi Fermanis (Tawa)
2018: Greg Foe (Poneke)’
2019: Kemara Hauiti-Parapara (Tawa)
Jubilee Cup semi-finals this Saturday (kick-offs 2.30pm):
- Oriental-Rongotai (1) v Wainuiomata (4) at the Polo Grounds (Live on Radio Sport from 3.00pm)
- Tawa (2) v Northern United (3) at Lyndhurst Park (live on Te Upoko from 2.30pm)
Below Kemara Hauiti-Parapara scores a try with a cheeky short kick in their recent Jubilee Cup win over Wainuiomata at William Jones Park.
