Racing
League
Rugby
Football
Cricket
Golf
Sport Nation
Motorsport
Netball
Basketball
Combat Sports
Olympics
Other Sports
Rural Sport Legend: The only woman to win New Zealand’s oldest sporting trophy
The Rural Roundup • September 7th, 2026 2:29 pm
Photo: Supplied
Target rifle shooting is often regarded as the oldest sport in New Zealand, with it’s national championship trophy, The Ballinger Belt, taking the honour of being the oldest sporting trophy in the country at 153 years old.
It was first competed for in 1873, and has recorded the names of the nation’s best target rifle shooters for more than a century and a half.
Among all those names, there is just one woman, Diane Collings.
Diane made history in 1981 as the first woman to ever win the Ballinger Belt, etching her name further in history winning it a second time in 1981, and a third time in 2014.
She has represented New Zealand internationally many times and continues to travel overseas to compete, often alongside her husband Mike Collings (who has also won the Ballinger belt a record 5 times).
Diane has also spent many years as a national selector and serves on the National Rifle Association of New Zealand board, helping shape the sport beyond her own competitive career.
We caught up with Diane on The Rural Roundup to talk about what it feels like to have her name etched into more than 150 years of sporting history, being the only woman to win the Ballinger Belt, how target shooting has changed over the decades, what makes the sport and what she hopes the future holds for the sport.
Listen to the full interview below:
