Outstanding showings from 2010 to 2019 will be honoured at the ceremony which is due to be held at the Spark Arena in Auckland on February 18 2021.

It will be a change to the usual format as the Halberg Awards has celebrated excellence in New Zealand every year since 1963.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc to this year’s sporting calendar with the Olympic and Paralympic Games forced to move to next year due to the global health crisis.

There have been notable performances from New Zealanders in 2020 as Israel Adesanya defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship title in March and Courtney Duncan secured a second successive Women’s Motocross World Championship crown last week.

But their achievements will now be eligible for the 2021 edition.

A statement on Halberg Awards’ website read: "With international sporting events being severely affected in 2020, the Halberg Foundation has decided it will include performances of merit this year into the 2021 sporting year."

Previous winners across eight categories will vie for the decade champion honours.

For the first time, the Halberg Awards will recognise category winners of the decade team, Para-athlete, sportswoman, sportsman, coach and emerging talent.

The public will also vote on New Zealand's favourite sporting moment of the decade.

The Sport New Zealand Leadership Award and Hall of Fame inductees are expected to form part of the celebrations.

The event was created by Olympic champion Sir Murray Halberg in 1963 and is a fundraiser for the Halberg Foundation which aims to improve the lives of physically disabled young New Zealanders.

"The Halberg Foundation is thrilled that we can place a spotlight on our decade champions at the ISPS Handa Halberg Awards and after a challenging year for sport, to reflect and honour the best of the best," said Shelley McMeeken, chief executive of the Halberg Foundation.

"At the same time the awards form a significant part of the fundraising activities that allow Halberg to continue to carry out its crucial work for so many young physically disabled people in our communities and at the same time deliver on Sir Murray’s vision."