A stalwart of the Kapi Mana Netball Centre, Ngahiwi Meroiti has been awarded a Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) in the 2024 New Year Honours.
Honoured for her services to netball, Meroiti (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tama) is a Life Member of the Kapi Mana Netball Centre, having been a member for more than 30 years.
A qualified umpire, Meroiti has been the Umpire Coordinator, Coach and Assessor for the Centre intermittently since the late 1990s.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic she resumed this role and was instrumental in revitalising the umpire cohort and growing the number of qualified umpires in the Centre. She served as a Board member from 2002 until 2012 and was the President between 2012 and 2016. She has held various positions with the Centre including Draw Convenor and responsibility for finances and grant funding.
Meroiti has also been a prominent figure in coaching where she has coached at Premier 1 Level and has led her club team to eight Premier 1 championships.
She has successfully coached and managed Kapi Mana representative teams, coached at secondary school levels for Tawa and Mana Colleges and coached and managed at regional levels as well.
She served as assistant coach of the Capital Shakers in 2005 and as a representative selector. Meroiti has also been involved in Māori netball for more than 15 years as a coach, manager, and is now treasurer for lkaroa ki te Tonga.
Established in 1975, the Queen's Service Medal is awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community. It replaced the Imperial Service Medal as an award of New Zealand.