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Dame Noeline Taurua reappointed as Silver Ferns head coach
Sport Nation • September 17th, 2026 12:58 pm
Dame Noeline Taurua after being reappointed as Silver Ferns head coach | Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
Dame Noeline Taurua will remain at the helm of the Silver Ferns through to the 2027 Netball World Cup, completing a remarkable turnaround in her relationship with Netball New Zealand.
Taurua has been reappointed less than a year after a bitter dispute with the national body over the team's high-performance environment.
The veteran coach's new deal comes after she guided New Zealand to Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow last month, ending a 16-year wait for the title.
Netball NZ said Taurua's reappointment reflected its confidence in her "leadership, coaching ability, integrity and vision", along with a shared ambition to return the Silver Ferns to the top of the world rankings.
The decision marks a significant reversal from this time last year, when Taurua was stood down following a cultural review of the Silver Ferns environment.
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A 51-day standoff followed, with Taurua and her coaching team challenging the process used to investigate concerns, while Netball NZ maintained changes were required to improve the environment and strengthen player voice.
Taurua was eventually reinstated in October, with both sides agreeing to changes aimed at supporting player wellbeing and performance.
She was then sidelined for the Constellation Cup against Australia and the Ferns' end-of-year tour of the UK, making the Commonwealth Games her first campaign back in charge.
Netball NZ chief executive Jennah Wootten, who has been in the role for just a month, said she was delighted to retain Taurua.
"The Silver Ferns programme is a world-class high-performance environment and we are thrilled to have retained the services of Dame Noeline. She is one of the greatest coaches in world netball," Wootten said in a statement.
Taurua said it was an "honour and a privilege" to continue leading the Ferns.
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"This team has a proud history and a legacy that has been built over generations by the coaches, players and people who have gone before us," she said.
"I'm also incredibly proud of what this team achieved at the Commonwealth Games. The opportunity now is to build on that success, continue to grow our game and our people, and keep adding to the legacy of the Silver Ferns."
Taurua first took charge in 2018 and produced an immediate transformation, guiding New Zealand from fourth at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games to World Cup champions in 2019.
Her tenure has since produced mixed results at major tournaments, with the Ferns claiming bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games before finishing fourth at the 2023 Netball World Cup — their worst-ever result at the tournament.
New Zealand will next face Australia in the four-match Constellation Cup series starting October 18, before taking on the New Zealand men's team in a three-match series in Hamilton this November.
