Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua (Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua) has been recognised for her outstanding coaching abilities with the Te Waitā Award for Sports at this year's Matariki Awards.
In a stellar career, Taurua has captured five elite titles, two in Australia with the Lightning, a trans-Tasman title with the Magic in 2012, and two others with the Magic in the former Kiwi domestic competition in 2005 and
2006.
In her two seasons with the Lightning in Australia, she's never lost a play-off game, winning all five matches, and helped the side to 24 wins from 33 matches with two draws.
As a head coach in the trans-Tasman league, she won 75 from 107 games (70 per cent). Taurua led the Magic to the finals every year as coach in that competition between 2008-13.
The country has high hopes for Taurua's tenure as Silver Ferns coach. Her outside-the-box style is what is needed to revive "a team crushed and humiliated at the Commonwealth Games".
Taurua will endeavour to not only set them back on a winning path, but to be victorious at the 2019 World Cup.
In a first for a national coach, she has taken on the dual roles of coaching the Silver Ferns and Sunshine Coast Lightning during 2018-19.
Joelle King and Shannon Mcilroy were the finalists in the category.
Finalist Joelle King (Ngāti Porou) won her first Tour title in 2008 at the North Island Championships and has been winning championships around the world ever since.
She was made a Member of the NZ Order of Merit for her services to Squash and finalist for Sportswoman of the Year at the 56 th Halberg Awards.
In 2019 at the Brian Perry Waikato Regional Sports Awards Joelle King, with rugby player Stacey Waaka, jointly took out both the Sportswoman of the Year title and the top honour of Supreme Award for Sporting Excellence.
She ranks as New Zealand’s No.1 squash player.
32-year old finalist Shannon Mcilroy (Ngāti Porou) has won six national lawn bowl titles and the World Champion of Champions event in 2018, becoming the first person to hold that title and the World Championship at the same
time. He also won the 2018 Bowls NZ singles final and the Fours final at the Taieri Bowling Club (NSW).
In 2018, he was selected as part of the New Zealand team (men’s singles and men’s pairs) for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
He is aiming to return to the World Championships in 2020 to defend the title he won in Christchurch in 2016.