10 minute read
Events Report
World Netball Awards
Yvonne Willering and Ruth Aitken, two outstanding New Zealand Netball figures, were honoured with service awards from World Netball (formerly International Netball Federation) in July.
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Yvonne Willering
The service awards recognise the pair’s immense contribution to the sport, both in New Zealand and globally.
Yvonne Willering
Willering’s influence has left a significant impression worldwide.
From a world champion player, to Silver Ferns coach, umpire to international commentator and advisor to aspiring Netball nations in all corners of the world, Willering’s unique relationship with Netball has spanned more than 50 years.
First spotted at school for her height, reach and leap, the girl born in the Netherlands quickly became a dynamic defender. She would go on to play for Auckland and then New Zealand for a decade – playing at three World Cups, and winning the world title in 1979.
Taking all she learnt on and off the court, Willering has poured that into an outstanding coaching career, including winning six national titles with Auckland.
At the helm of the Silver Ferns, first as caretaker coach then head coach, she guided the Silver Ferns in 51 Tests, with 39 wins and one draw.
Her unrivalled knowledge is still keenly sought after by teams throughout New Zealand and the world, where she is frequently called on to guide players, coaches and administrators.
She’s been head coach of the Fiji Pearls, and has advised the national sides of South Africa, Australia and Vanuatu. Willering also worked with the Silver Ferns in their build-up towards 2019 World Cup glory.
Willering continues to develop coaches across the globe as a member of the World Netball Coaching Advisory Panel.
Ruth Aitken
Aitken has won the Netball World Cup for New Zealand both on the court and off it, but her impact on Netball has radiated throughout the world.
A Silver Fern in the team that won the 1979 world tournament, Aitken went on to become one of New Zealand’s most successful sporting coaches. She guided the Silver Ferns for nine years, which included winning the 2003 Netball World Cup, back-to-back Commonwealth Games gold medals, and the 2009 World Netball Series.
Moving into her role as NNZ’s coaching director, Aitken helped set a new direction for coaching at every level of the game, markedly increasing the number of coaches in New Zealand. She was also a national selector for three years.
The reach of her influence extends far beyond the shores of Aotearoa. Aitken spent three years coaching in Singapore, shaping the success and development of their national team.
She’s been a member of the World Netball Coaching Advisory Panel and continues to help NNZ with the Pacific Sporting Partnership, delivering Netball training to Fiji, the Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga.
Aitken’s professionalism, integrity and meticulous approach have also been in demand with other sports. She is a member of the NZ Sports Tribunal, which rules on a range of sporting disputes.
But her heart is never far from Netball. Aitken was a coach mentor for the successful New Zealand U21s at the 2017 Netball World Youth Cup, and she has previously been the performance manager in the Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone.
Acknowledgements
Long-serving Netball volunteers honoured.
This year NNZ acknowledged five stalwarts who were recognised in the New Year’s Honours for their long and selfless service to Netball.
Robin Boldarin (Wellington), Angela Keenan (Hokitika), Martha Taru (Wellington), Julia Truesdale (Wellington), and Malia Venning (Hutt Valley) each received the Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) for their selfless contribution to Netball over many years in a variety of roles.
Boldarin has been an integral part of Catholic Netball Wellington City Area for decades and is currently secretary of the Wellington Primary School Sports Association and is involved in running the Wellington Primary School annual tournament. She also acts as a convenor and an umpire at Tuesday and Saturday Netball games and tournaments.
Keenan has made a major contribution to Netball in Hokitika in a variety of roles, including as president, secretary and coaching co-ordinator for Hokitika Netball Centre since 1984.
She has co-ordinated coaching programmes for coaches, players and umpires for 20 years, attended the NNZ Championships as a senior coach and U15 coach, and was the Hokitika Centre’s secretary for five years. She organised the Netball summer fitness programme every summer for 15 years, which involved fundraising for equipment and venue costs, organising sessions, liaising with schools to promote the programme, and running the sessions themselves.
Keenan has organised junior basketball for the Westland Basketball Association since 2006 and running for the Hokitika Athletic Club since 2004. She drove the development of a new sports complex at Westland High School and chaired the complex’s committee after local government funding was approved.
A dynamic presence in Netball and the Pacific community, Taru has been President of the Pacific Islands Church (PIC) Netball Club since 2009 after first becoming involved with this famous Wellington club in 1977. She quickly transitioned from playing competitive Netball into coaching, mentoring and administration.
Taru has been involved in the coaching and selection of representative teams for more than 30 years. She has coached a Cook Islands national team and has had multiple successes as a Wellington club coach at all levels and age groups. She is involved on an annual basis with the selection of school teams and representative teams from the NNL.
Through the Wellington Cook Islands Sports Association, she has contributed to the planning and implementation of events like the New Zealand Cook Islands Sports and Cultural Federation Netball programme and player awards. Taru is a Netball Wellington Centre Life Member and was recognised as Netball Wellington Volunteer of the Year in 2018 and in 2019. She has also received an NNL Service Award.
Volunteering as a school Netball coach and administrator from 1995 to 2015, Truesdale was involved in creating interschool competitions for Western-zoned Wellington primary schools, umpiring and running yearly umpiring workshops for parents and Year 7 & 8 students while writing applications for funding to provide equipment for teams as well. She also co-ordinated the Fun Ferns, a developmental Netball programme for Year 3 children.
Venning has been involved with the Tokelau Hutt Valley Sports and Culture Association for over 40 years. In 2007, she was elected as the National Netball Co-ordinator for Mafutaga Tupulaga Tokelau Niu Hila, the national Tokelau youth body, and was part of the group who helped establish Tokelau Netball in 2006. She was integral in the Tokelau representative Netball team competing at the South Pacific Games in Samoa and was cultural advisor for the Tokelau Netball team at the Pacific Mini Games in 2019.
She has been a strong contributor to the Tokelau community and was a founding member and cultural advisor of the Tokelau Nurses and Health Workers Association of New Zealand. Venning is also secretary of Te Umiumiga a Tokelau Hutt Valley, which provides education programmes, support services and a community facility for Tokelau families.
Life Members
Two of the sport’s leading figures over many years, Ruth Aitken and Waimarama Taumaunu received Life Membership of NNZ in 2021, acknowledging the immense contribution both have made.
Stalwarts, who have made invaluable contributions from grassroots to the international stage in a lifetime’s involvement, the pair has traversed many facets of the game while leaving a significant imprint in being awarded NNZ’s highest honour.
Ruth Aitken
Aitken forged an outstanding career as a coach after being a successful member of the Silver Ferns team that were joint winners of the 1979 World Netball Championships.
Over her nine-year tenure (2002 – 2011) as the Silver Ferns coach, Aitken stood out as one of New Zealand’s most successful coaches across all sports. With Aitken at the helm, the Silver Ferns won the 2003 World Netball Champs, culminating in the Coach of the Year Award the same year, back-to-back gold medals at the 2006 Melbourne and 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, and the World Netball Series title in 2009.
Employed as the NNZ Coaching Director from 2011 to 2013, Aitken led the successful development and promotion of new initiatives to encourage increased participation at all levels of coaching.
From 2013 to 2016, she was Technical Director and National Coach for Singapore Netball where she played an instrumental role in shaping the success and development of the Singapore national team.
Since 2017 she has played an important role as Development Officer for the Pacific Sporting Programme, an initiative that delivers Netball training to a wide range of participants in Fiji, the Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga.
Her knowledge and experience have been recognised both nationally and internationally as a member of the INF Coaching Advisory Panel (2011 – 2014) and since 2016 she has been a member of the NZ Sports Tribunal, an independent body that rules on a range of sporting disputes. More recently, Aitken was Performance Manager in the Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone. Aitken received the NNZ Service Award in 2012 and was made an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit (ONZM) in 2011 for her services to Netball.
Ruth Aitken
Waimarama Taumaunu
Taumaunu has had a long and distinguished career in Netball as a player, coach and administrator. Selected in the Silver Ferns as an 18 year old, Taumaunu went on to forge an outstanding 10-year international career. Captaining the Silver Ferns in her last three years, she played 77 Tests, winning a world title in 1987 while being acclaimed as one of the outstanding defenders of her generation.
When offshore oppointments were a rarity, Taumaunu was appointed National Performance Director of England Netball
Waimarama Taumaunu
in 1998 and held this position until her return to New Zealand in 2003.
Taumaunu was the Silver Ferns head coach from 2011 to 2015 during which time she continued to undertake a range of administrative roles in high performance and strategic planning for the national body.
Since 2016, she has been Director of High Performance for the Central Zone as well as leading the NNZ team responsible for developing the Pacific Sporting Partnership in conjunction with NZ Rugby and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
More recently, Taumaunu has been responsible for establishing a coaching qualification framework, designed to fast-track coaches who have experience of high-performance sport through their participation as players.
Her knowledge and experience have been recognised both nationally and internationally. She is currently a member of the INF Rules Advisory Panel and is also a member of the Board of Directors of High Performance Sport NZ.
Taumaunu received the NNZ Service Award in 2009. She was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 1992 and an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit (ONZM) in 2016 for her services to Netball while also being inducted into the NZ Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Māori Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
Others to be acknowledged with NNZ Service Awards this year were:
Karen Betty Pukekohe Netball Centre Lynette Brady Netball North Harbour Jennifer Gerrand Hamilton City Netball Elizabeth Hicks Pukekohe Netball Centre Tania Karauria Auckland Netball Centre Margaret Kelly Hamilton City Netball Centre Eleanor Kitching Waiuku Netball Centre Kora Pene Netball Hutt Valley Pam Pennell Auckland Netball Centre Kirstin Scully Dunedin Netball Centre Margaret Webby Pukekohe Netball Centre
Life Members in the order they were conferred:
+ Now deceased 1932 Irene McInnes+ 1949 Betty Armstrong+ 1949 Myrtle Muir+ 1965 Stella Schnack+ 1966 Sara Foster+ 1967 Rena Mackenzie+ 1967 Catherine Vautier OBE+ 1968 Eileen Lane QBE+ 1969 Evelyn Bell+ 1969 Margaret McAughtrie+ 1975 Ona Coatsworth+ 1975 Edna Yates QSM+ 1977 Jean Lodge MBE+ 1978 Joyce McCann MBE+ 1981 Marjorie Jenden QSM+ 1987 Anne Taylor OBE 1989 Dame Lois Muir OBE DNZM 1991 Judy Russell MNZM 1991 Betty Steffensen QSM 1993 Dawn Jones OBE 1994 Joyce Ellis+ 1994 Dal Knuckey QSM+ 1997 Monica Leggat MNZM+ 1999 Christine Archer 2002 Fay Freeman ONZM 2003 Sheryl Dawson MNZM 2006 Sheryl Lady Wells CNZM 2010 Robyn Broughton ONZM 2010 Taini Jamison OBE 2011 Marian George QSM 2012 Kereyn Smith MNZM 2017 Leigh Gibbs ONZM 2018 Yvonne Willering ONZM 2021 Ruth Aitken ONZM 2021 Waimarama Taumaunu MBE ONZM
