For their selfless dedication to enhancing and ensuring netball continues to prosper across all facets, nine special individuals have been honoured with Netball New Zealand (NNZ) Service Awards for 2024.
Headlining an exceptional list, Anna Galvan (Netball Mainland, Christchurch Netball Centre), Anne Nicholson (Auckland Netball Centre), Belinda Clarke (Hamilton Netball Centre), Diane Tasker (Whanganui Netball Centre), Fay Meiklejohn (Netball North Harbour), Kelly Herbert (Netball Wellington), Margaret Henley (Auckland), Noeline Walsh (Netball Manurewa) and Norton Reuben-Brough (Netball Manurewa) have been acknowledged as the 2024 recipients.
The prestigious award recognises an individual who has made a significant contribution to netball that has enhanced the game at local level, regionally, nationally and, or, internationally.
Anna Galvan:
Anna Galvan has been a towering presence in Mainland netball for 30 years. As a player, Christchurch Netball Centre Board member and Chair and Tactix Steering Committee Board member and coach, Anna’s governance and strategic leadership has long been a driving force for netball in the region.
Anna’s commitment to building the Ngā Puna Wai 10-court indoor stadium is a testament to the long-lasting impact and vision she has held for netball in Mainland, taking a generous $11 million donation and turning it into a $16.5 million indoor stadium. These achievements are a testament to Anna's leadership and ability to gather people with the right skills to support the vision.
Anne Nicholson:
A player, coach, manager, umpire and examiner over many years, Anne Nicholson has successfully cast her range of skills widely across the netball landscape. More recently, in her role at Auckland Netball, Anne oversees all the Centre’s competitions, leagues and tournaments, the Centre hosting over 1000 winter competitions teams.
A champion of the futureFERNS programme, Anne was involved in the start-up initiative and oversaw the introduction of the Year 1 and 2 skills/game programme. She was recently enlisted by NNZ to help with an overview of the entire programme.
Belinda Clark:
Belinda Clark’s passion and commitment as a Bench Official was evident from the start. Since 2014, she has led the way in her role as a Statistician and Technical Official at the Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone, where she continues to volunteer her expertise. Her dedication to developing and enhancing the role of Bench Officials and Statisticians has been instrumental, not only within her Zone but across the entire country.
Belinda’s leadership extends beyond her region, working closely with NNZ to ensure that all volunteers and officials are equipped with the latest information and best practices. Her role as the link between the Region/Zone and national events, including the ANZ Premiership, SHNL, and international matches, has been invaluable in maintaining the high standards of officiating that our sport requires.
Diane Tasker:
Involved for over 50 years, Diane Tasker (Whanganui Netball Centre), a player, coach and manager found her real niche in the umpire space. Diane became a NNZ Practical Umpire Examiner, a position she held for nine years, and followed up with her involvement as a New Zealand Umpire Coach and Tester.
A highly respected member of the Whanganui Centre community, Diane remains heavily involved at the grassroots levels as an Umpire Coach and running the Junior Umpire Academy. With her outstanding knowledge of the game, Diane shares her wisdom while providing a clear pathway for local umpiring talent. She has also played a key role over many years at the Lower North Island Secondary Schools tournament where her experience has proved invaluable.
Fay Meiklejohn:
Starting out at Netball North Harbour (NNH) as a Regional Umpire, Fay Meiklejohn progressed on to obtaining her NZ Award and IUA, and inclusion in the National Umpires Squad. Coaching umpires and players at NNH, Fay was always willing to present workshops to umpires and coaches and share her national and international experiences.
After retiring from on-court umpiring, Fay was appointed to the NNZ High Performance Squad coaching panel and the ITP. More recently Fay has become involved in the administration side of the game, firstly joining the NNH Umpires Committee, followed by the NNH Board bringing with her the knowledge of HP officiating.
Fay has umpired or been on the Umpire Appointment Panel at several World Netball Championships and World Youth Championships between 2009 – 2024 during a lengthy and rewarding career.
Kelly Herbert:
Starting out in netball in 1980, Kelly Herbert, Wellington Netball Centre, has been a key figure in a variety of roles ever since. In an extensive list which includes international umpire, NZ A umpire, NNZ Umpire Watchlist Coach, NNZ Rules Board member, NZ Theory Moderator, player, coach and manager Kelly has pretty much done it all.
Heavily involved at regional, national and international level, Kelly is a well-known and respected figure in all netball circles, her passion and knowledge of the game touching many as her influence and service continues to have an impact.
Margaret Henley:
Margaret Henley has spent decades ensuring that netball’s history has been identified, recorded and made accessible for all while acknowledging its place as part of New Zealand’s sporting fabric and the influences behind it. Her contributions will stand the test of time and remain a lasting gift to the sport we all love.
Margaret has played a vital role in ensuring that the legacy of netball is carefully documented and able to be shared with future generations. As a key contributor to NNZ’s centenary content series (2023-2024), Margaret’s passion and expertise in historical research have brought to life many significant stories from our past, helping to connect today’s netball community with its roots. Her meticulous fact-checking and research have been invaluable in maintaining the accuracy and depth of our historical records.
Noeline Walsh:
A stalwart of Netball Manurewa, Noeline Walsh was President of the Manurewa District Netball Association (MDNA) for 16 years and during that time was instrumental in securing and building the much-admired Manurewa indoor multi-purpose netball and sports complex.
The complex build was a three-staged approach, spanning over eight years while involving a tremendous amount of project management, lobbying of local council and politicians, fundraising, and collaborating with other local sport codes. Noeline and her team of volunteers were responsible for a multitude of fundraising events.
Since her tenure as President, Noeline has remained an avid and influential supporter of Netball Manurewa and was part of the working committee who, over a two-year period, brought to life the Netball Manurewa 50th Jubilee event and booklet.
Norton Reuben-Brough:
Norton Reuben-Brough has been involved with Netball Manurewa (NM) for over 15 years. He first joined the Umpire Executive in 2008 and continues with that involvement. He has been secretary of the Manurewa Netball Umpire Association for many years, and is the ‘go to’ for all things administration for this Kaupapa.
Norton has umpired at Netball Manurewa for most of his 15 years and is a recent NZ Badge Umpire recipient. He is dedicated to umpire development as an Umpire Coach at Netball Manurewa and continues to ply his trade on Saturdays for the senior grade teams.
Norton has held a position on the Netball Manurewa Board since 2017 and brings a wealth of knowledge around youth engagement, event management, hospitality and Te Ao Māori. He is a staunch advocate for Te Ao Māori and has put together Te Reo Māori resources for the Netball Manurewa office to utilise in their marketing and membership communications.