In 1980 Louise Stevens succeeded Mrs Wills as President. With an increase of senior teams to fifty, plus forty in the junior morning section, the Association was over-taxed as far as the courts were concerned. At least another two were needed!
At the end of the season Louise informed the Association that she was leaving the district, and paid tribute to the many associates and friends who had made her eleven years in Taupo an enjoyable time.
Mrs Trixie Grainger took over as President in 1981, and South Waikato gained a new netball selector-coach in Barbara Williams. She replaced Louise Stevens.
Mrs Wills, a stalwart of college netball, announced her retirement, but would end her years of devotion, with a school netball tour of Sydney and Canberra in August.
1981 - The Form 1 representative team coached by Liz Mativa, and the Form 2 representative team, coached by Dora Pahewa were successful at tournaments in Te Puke, Rotorua and Taupo.
1982 - Mrs Wills was made a life member of the Taupo Netball Association.From 1968-1978 she had been the Taupo delegate on the South Waikato netball committee. Nationally, Mrs Wills represented South Waikato on the New Zealand Netball Association council in 1974-75, and was the co-ordinator for the council meeting held at the Taupo College in 1975.
Taupo athlete Noleen Taurua, 13, won three of the four events she entered at the inter-provincial athletic championships at the meeting in Dunedin, where nine provinces were represented. She was the only Taupo athlete chosen for the Waikato team. Noleen played netball to keep fit during the winter.
At the major Lakeland Sports Awards for 1982, Barbara Williams won the Sports Administrator Award. She coached eight netball teams during the season, as well as took and active part as committee member of the Taupo Netball Association, the parent South Waikato Netball Association, and the Cossie Rebels Netball Club.
The South Waikato representative netball squad, which Barbara coached, won the National second grade competition and was promoted to the first grade.
1983 - Two women who nurtured the Taupo Netball Umpire Association through its first thirteen years were honoured with the first life memberships to be conferred. They were Mrs Margaret Barker, the first President, and the patroness, Mrs Betty Reid. Since the Umpires Association was formed in 1970, it had been an integral part of the growth of netball, as one of Taupo's leading participation sports.Retiring President, Mrs Rona Hancock, Taupo's highest graded umpire, holding her New Zealand certificate, conferred the honours. The late Mrs Chris Spain took over as President. .
Netball coach, Mrs Lillian Hancock (nee Mazel) became one of the first people in Taupo to pass the elementary coaching examination. Her examiner was Barbara Williams..
Mrs Cilla Waho became the second Taupo netball umpire to receive her New Zealand umpire's badge. The award, the highest obtainable, qualified her to umpire New Zealand representative games. Cilla said she had been working towards the New Zealand badge since 1980, having started umpiring in 1971.
The South Waikato under 20 netball team won the Waikato Region of the Prudential Regional Under Twenty Tournament in Taupo giving them the bonus of playing in the New Zealand finals later on in the season.Noleen Tauroa, Paula Hickey and Natalie Healey, were members of that successful team.
1984 The Taupo Netball Umpires Association was fortunate in getting Sandy Davies, the only male umpire in Taupo, to assist in controlling some of the games. Sandy had been involved with netball for about 15 years and had completed the theory section of the provincial umpires' qualification.
Rona Hancock as President of the Taupo Netball Association and holding a New Zealand Umpires' badge, probably had something to do with Sandy's umpiring in a women's world.
1985-1987, Jacquie Kahu took over as President of the Taupo Netball Association and in 1986 Netball made the most memorable move to Owen Delany Park. At the opening ceremony the patron, Mrs Reid, paid tribute to two dedicated and hard-working women, President, Jacquie and Secretary, Mrs Polly Taurua, who with a supportive committee, had made the mover possible.
1988 Louisa Wall took her place as the youngest member of the 'Young Internationals' squad, to train under former New Zealand Captain and New Zealand Coach, Lyn Parker.
In 1989, she was named in the New Zealand Silver Ferns Netball Team. Louisa had been an outstanding athlete and a brilliant scholar at Taupo nui-a-Tia College.
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