Two-time Olympic gold medallist and eight-time World Champion, Eric Murray is one of New Zealand’s most successful rowers and a name etched into the history books of international sport.
Growing up in Pukekohe, Eric wasn’t the typical future Olympian. He described himself as the “fat kid” at school, but a chance introduction to rowing sparked a passion that would take him to global heights. After school, he pursued the sport through the club system, driven by a singular ambition: to represent New Zealand on the world stage.
Eric earned a place in the New Zealand Olympic team and went on to compete at four consecutive Olympic Games. After the disappointment of a seventh-place finish in the Men's Four at the 2008 Beijing Olympics—despite being World Champions the year prior—Eric made a pivotal move. Teaming up with Hamish Bond in the Men's Pair, the duo would go on to dominate world rowing in an unprecedented run.
Together, they became The Kiwi Pair—an unbeatable force over eight seasons, claiming 71 consecutive race wins and 24 international titles without defeat. Their legacy includes two Olympic golds, countless world records, and a partnership that redefined excellence in rowing. Eric also holds four world records on the indoor rowing machine, showcasing his individual dominance in the sport.
The success wasn’t without its challenges. Eric and Hamish learned to not only become champions but to stay champions. Their ability to adapt, evolve, and maintain excellence across a decade of global competition has inspired athletes and sports fans alike.
Eric’s accolades include being made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2013, and in 2022, he was appointed Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rowing. Alongside Bond, he is a four-time Halberg Team of the Year winner and twice a Supreme Award recipient—recognitions that cement their place as one of New Zealand’s greatest sporting duos.
Eric was fabulous to work with. He was easy, nothing phased him and spoke with ease and humour perfect for our event. He bought his gold medals and everyone was holding and placing them and ... keep reading Cooney Lees Morgan
Eric was great to work with - he turned up on time, had his presentation ready to go and was great that he brought along a couple of his gold medals - something that a lot of us will never get the chance to hold!
Really appreciated him pitching his delivery around the brief provided and engaging with the audience in a light hearted manner.
Eric is an absolute pleasure to work with. Generous with his time, laid back style and very funny. Honest, wonderful story and adapted to what we wanted perfectly. Kia Kaha Eric!
Eric was great, a lot of fun to listen to and he interacted with the team really well - came in a bit early and stayed on for a bit after so he could have a chat to the team. We would definitely be happy to have him back in the future should the opportunity arise.
Eric was down to earth and relaxed character that 'read the room' and delivered an outstanding, thought provoking and humorous address. We were delighted and have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone.
Eric was absolutely awesome to deal with from the outset of confirming our booking. Our briefing session with Eric was really comprehensive, he listened in detail to information about the theme of our event and about our audience. He did a great job of taking us through his content and explained how this would align with our theme. Eric was adaptable when we were met with the challenge of him not being able to travel to Christchurch due to weather impacts. We appreciate that he travelled to an alternative airport in an attempt to get on an alternative flight that would have allowed him to get to Christchurch in time. When this alternative flight was also cancelled, he was happy to adapt his presentation and do this virtually for us instead. Despite joining us virtually, Eric was still extremely engaging despite not being able to see or interact directly with our audience. He tied his content back to our theme brilliantly in the end and answered all questions in depth. Despite not getting to experience Eric in person, we still feel we got a huge amount of value from his session and from the time and energy he invested in our briefing session and actual event. He was really well received by our audience who came away with learnings to implement in their day-to-day. Would love to work with Eric again and hope to get the full experience next time (in person hopefully!).
Eric shared a brilliant story and had the audience very engaged. Very humble and down to earth, Eric is a professional and standout speaker who would be highly recommended. A pleasure to work with and very giving of his time, the client and guests appreciated the opportunity to meet and converse with him throughout the evening.
Eric completely hit the brief and all the right notes. He was super pleasant and accommodating and a real pleasure to work with.
Eric was very engaging and took the audience with him on his journey. His account was very real with much humour added in to the story. Thank you.
He was very entertaining and engaging and very open. The team got a particular thrill from him bringing his gold medal along for them to hold. A nice touch.
