Kiwi shot put star Tom Walsh says winning Sportsman of the Year at last night's Halberg Awards was a "pretty awesome feeling" and a "bit of a shock".

The Kiwi claimed New Zealand's top sports honours for 2018 at the 56th Halberg Awards in Auckland last night.

The 26-year-old collected the Sportsman of the Year trophy for the second year in a row before being presented the supreme Halberg Award by Rob Waddell at a ceremony at Spark Arena.

Walsh was recognised for his outstanding achievements last year including victories at the world indoor championships, Commonwealth Games and Diamond League events.

Walsh told Mike Hosking being in the same category as greats like freeskier Nico Porteous and motor racers Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon was an honour.

"I"m a little bit lost for words. To somehow manage to end up on top in front of them is pretty cool."