Coaching

The final trial for the Central Beko Netball team was held in Otaki on Saturday 3 March with a strong turnout from players across the zone.  

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NetballSmart, Netball New Zealand’s injury prevention programme is in a superb growth phase in 2018.

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In November of 2017 three Netball Central Zone Coaches attained the new Community Coach Level 1 Award.

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Netball New Zealand’s (NNZ) official national junior programme ANZ futureFERNS continued to show growth in the Year 1-4 space, highlights for Netball Central Zone in junior netball in 2016 included:

• 17553 juniors playing in the Year 1-8 space across the Zone
• 13 Centres delivering ANZ futureFERNS at Year 1 & 2 and 12 delivering at Year 3 & 4
• 5723 juniors at Year 1-4 participated in ANZ futureFERNS in 2016
• Year 1 & 2 affiliation numbers increased 8.4% and Year 3 & 4 increased 10.2% in across the Zone in 2016.
• Netball Hutt Valley delivered the second ANZ futureFERNS Zone Festival in collaboration with the Zone and NNZ providing skills sessions for children Year 1-6 at Walter Nash Centre.
• 916 coaches attended ANZ futureFERNS workshops
• Netball Horowhenua, Netball Manawatu, Netball Hutt Valley, Netball Wellington and Netball Wanganui increased their participation numbers significantly across all the Year 1-4 junior space.
• Kapi Mana introduced the ANZ futureFERNS programme for the first time, instigating growth in the Year 1 & 2 age group.

The next phase of ANZ futureFERNS (6v6) will be rolled out in seven Centres across the Central Zone during 2017.

The significant achievements in the junior space around the Zone in 2017

• 17,339 juniors playing in the Year 1-8 space across the Zone
• All 13 Centres endorsed to deliver Future Ferns across the Zone
• All 13 Centres delivering Future Ferns at Year 1 & 2 and Year 3 & 4
• 5829 juniors at Year 1-4 participated in Future Ferns across the Zone in 2017
• 2418 juniors participated at Year 1 & 2 a 4.6% increase in 2017
• 7 Centres delivered 6v6 Future Ferns at Year 5 & 6 – Netball Wellington, Netball Hutt Valley, Netball Taranaki, Hawkes Bay Netball, Netball Manawatu, Netball Kapiti, Netball Horowhenua.
• Netball Taranaki delivered the third Future Ferns Zone Festival in collaboration with the Zone and NNZ, providing skill sessions and game play for children Year 1-6 at TET Multi Sports Centre in Stratford. Previous festivals were held by Hawkes Bay Netball and Netball Hutt Valley.

2024

National Umpire Squad 

• Angela Armstrong-Lush 
• Caleb Binns
• Gareth Fowler
• Marlissa Howard
• Ken Metekingi 

Zone Watchlist Squad 

• Hayes Andrew 
• Morgan Craig
• Lockie McClaren
• Hayley Taylor
• Amelia Wheeler

Zone Advance Squad 

• Hayes Andrew
• Lockie McClaren
• Liam Minhinnick
• Hayley Taylor
• Amelia Wheeler 
• Jessica Williams
• Jamie Worthington 

Zone U18/Development Umpire Squad 

• Rhys Egan
• Briar Pawson
• Donna Plasmeyer
• Melissa Price
• Desterney reid
• Tapeni Simmons
• Sinéad Washington

2023

National Squad

• Angela Armstrong-Lush – Central Zone
• Gareth Fowler - Wellington
• Gracey Farquharson – Wellington
• Ken Metekingi - Manawatu
• Marly Howard – Wellington
• Myron Elkington - Wellington
• Caleb Binns – Wellington

Zone Watch List Umpire

• Amelia Wheeler - Wellington
• Hayes Andrew - Wellington
• Lockie McLaren – Wellington

Zone Advanced Umpire Squad

• Amelia Wheeler – Wellington
• Hayes Andrew - Wellington
• Jamie Manuel - Manawatu
• Jane Hickmott – Taranaki
• Jessica Williams - Manawatu
• Lockie McLaren – Wellington
• Megan Jamieson – Wellington

Zone U18 Umpiring Squad

• AJ Brown – Taranaki
• Aleisha Cotton – Manawatu
• Briar Pawson – Wellington
• Desterney Reid – Manawatu
• Donna Plasmeyer – Taranaki
• Felicity Hughes – Taranaki
• Frances Bacon – Horowhenua/Manawatu
• Hayley Taylor – Hutt Valley
• Jasmine Persson – Manawatu
• Kyra Tikitiki – Manawatu
• Melissa Price – Manawatu
• Neriah Kaihe-Woolston – Manawatu
• Sarah Orr – Manawatu
• Tapeni Simmons – Kapi Mana/Wellington
• Toni Manuel – Manawatu

2022

National Squad

Zone Watch List Umpire

Zone Advanced Umpire Squad

Zone Developing Umpiring Squad

NZ Open Championships

NZ Secondary Schools

NZ Under 18 Championships

NZC Award

NZC Endorsement

Zone Award Qualifying

Zone Award Endorsement

69 Netball New Zealand Community Coach Workshops were delivered this year with 488 coaches in attendance.

The Zone would like to thank and recognise our valued Coach Developers who have facilitated NNZ Community Coach Workshops in 2017: Ann Rodgers, Ivy Topping, Tania Karauria, Lisa Murphy, Parekura Muraahi, Val Sampson, Carmell Wagg, Karen Bevan, Sandra Edge and Maria Hegarty.

Three informal coaching workshops were facilitated by current Silver Ferns Performance Analyst Dr Bobby Willcox in Lower Hutt, former Silver Fern Jodi Brown MNZM in Palmerston North and former Silver Fern Leana de Bruin in Stratford.

Seven coaches attained the ‘new’ NNZ Community Coach Level 1 Award (CCA) – Veronica Adams, Nina McGregor, Cynthia Lendrum, Ada Graham, Jenny Smith, Delwynn Walker and Yvonne Hill.

Natalie Milicich (the Zone) attained Netball New Zealand’s Performance Coach Qualification (PCQ) and was also awarded the NNZ Performance Coach of the Year Award. Che Tamati (Taranaki) was awarded the Netball New Zealand Community Coach of the Year Award.

The annual Coaching Conference ‘Great Coaches, Great Athletes’ was held in September at ASB Sports Centre, Wellington.  Over forty coaches from around the Zone attended the event, which was facilitated by presenters including Mark Sorenson, Waimarama Taumaunu, Irene van Dyk, Yvette McCausland-Durie, Sandra Edge, Anna Andrews, Dion Te Whetu, Dr Natalie Hogg, Bella Ansell, Alex Johnson, Gina Di Rienzo and Dessi Broughton.

History Overview

Netball Central Zone (the Zone) was established in October 2012 as part of the review of the structure of netball in New Zealand replacing the Wellington, Eastern and Western Regions.

The Zone oversees the promotion, development and growth of netball in the Zone by working actively with our centres in our zone to promote and encourage participation in netball.  Alongside Netball New Zealand’s, the zone facilitates the roll out of the Whole of Netball plan, which provides direction for the sport over the next 5 years.  The Zone encompasses Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, Whanganui, Taranaki and the Wellington region.  Through this network netball is promoted as an amateur game that provides enjoyment and easy access to lifelong recreational activity.

Netball Central Zone Logo

The Zone logo reflects a Koru with the fronds representing the Pulse and the geographical regions which make up the Zone.  With the introduction of the zone structures in New Zealand the Koru and its representation of bringing new life forward was seen as an important symbol to unite the previous regions. The Koru:

• represents the fern frond as it opens bringing new life and purity to the world
• represents peace, tranquility and spirituality along with a sense of regrowth and new beginnings
• is associated with nurturing and represents the strength and relationships within a family
• is facing upwards towards the sun looking forward to a new day and beginning for all

For us the Koru represents collaboration, working together and new growth.