Frequent Connection Strengthens Community Netball Across the Country

Did you know that Netball WBOP Zone staff regularly connect with their counterparts from every other Zone, as well as Netball New Zealand NNZ?

While each Zone works hard to meet the unique needs of its local communities, there is also a strong national network working behind the scenes to support shared learning, consistency in key areas, and collective input into NNZ direction and initiatives.

Throughout the year, our specialist leads meet regularly with colleagues from around the country and their respective NNZ leads:

• Participation Lead Aimee Te Whata meets fortnightly with Zone Participation Leads and NNZ Participation Manager Irene van Dyk.
• Coach Lead Kim Hunt meets fortnightly with Zone Coach Leads and NNZ Community Coaching Manager Leigh Gibbs.
• Umpire Leads Minda Busch and Ruth Robinson meet fortnightly with Zone Umpire Leads and NNZ National Technical Officials Manager Josh Bowring.
• Player Pathways Development Lead Rachel Davis meets approximately 4 to 6 times each year with pathway leaders from other Zones (their job titles vary!) and NNZ Player Pathways Manager Nicky Cattermoul.
• NetballSmart Development Officer Sam Winders meets fortnightly with Zone NetballSmart Development Officers and NNZ NetballSmart Programme Manager Hannah Coutts.
• Zone Relationship Managers and NNZ Head of Community Ruth Southwood meet online each month and attend in-person meetings twice per year too. These continue to be attended by Interim General Manager Leigh Ashton (former Relationship Manager) while the Relationship Manager role is currently vacant.

In addition to regular online meetings, NNZ also hosts an annual NNZ-Zone Community Hui each September, bringing together community staff from across all Zones for two days of collaborative planning, professional development, guest speakers, and cross-department learning.

These connections are invaluable. They create opportunities to share successes, learn from challenges, contribute to national projects, and explore new ideas that can strengthen the experience of everyone involved in netball. They also help ensure a connected and collaborative system, while still allowing each Zone to focus on the priorities that matter most in their local communities.

Article by: Leigh Ashton, WBOP Zone Interim GM
Article added: Monday 07 September 2026