Many years of dedication has been recognised for stalwarts Allison Ferguson, Adine Wilson and Marilyn Milne who have been acknowledged in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours for their service to netball.
Ferguson, a former Netball New Zealand (NNZ) Board chair, has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) while former Silver Ferns captain Adine Wilson has become a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM). Milne has received the King’s Service Medal (KSM).
A commercial litigation lawyer, Ferguson has volunteered in netball in a variety of roles at national and regional levels. She was a director of the NNZ Board from 2014 - 2018 and then Chair from 2018 - 2023 and oversaw investment in player pathways to ensure continuity of netball’s high performance programmes, while introducing greater player numbers at the elite level.
She was Board Chair of Auckland Netball Centre from 2000 - 2009, where she was the driving force behind the establishment of a new venue at Stonefields. She applied her legal expertise on a pro bono basis for the establishment of Auckland Netball at Stonefields, part of a wider sports hub near central Auckland.
Ferguson joined the Diamonds Netball franchise Board in 2006 and was appointed to the New Zealand working committee for development of a new Trans-Tasman netball competition, which became known as the ANZ Championship.
She secured a sizeable donation for netball, which was applied to enable the construction of the first indoor venue for netball in Canterbury, the new home of the Christchurch Netball Centre.
Ferguson received an Auckland Netball Service Award in 2007 and was made a Life Member in 2020. She received a Netball New Zealand Service Award in 2017.
Wilson captained the Silver Ferns from 2005 - 2007, making her debut with the national team in 1999 after also captaining the New Zealand U21 netball team.
She was part of the Silver Ferns team that won the Netball World Cup in 2003 before captaining the team to their historic first Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2006. She retired from international play in 2007, following 79 test appearances.
Wilson was a Board member of the New Zealand Netball Players’ Association (NZNPA) from 2007 -2023, chairing the Board from 2017 - 2023. She was prominent in establishing the NZNPA, eventuating in netballers having a collective voice as the sport headed into the semi-professional era. She was a Board member of Auckland Netball from 2012 - 2022.
Domestically, Wilson played for Southern Sting from 2001 - 2007 and captained the Southern Steel in 2009. She has been an athlete mentor for the Tania Dalton Foundation since 2018, which supports young women in sport through a range of programmes and is a current Trustee. She has been a SKY sports presenter and commentator since 2013.
She is also a member of the Integrity in Sport and Recreation Establishment Board.
Milne has been contributing to her community through netball for more than 60 years and has held various roles and responsibilities in this time throughout the Otago, Canterbury and Nelson/Tasman Netball communities, serving as President, secretary, coach, umpire, selector and an executive member.
She was the inaugural Coaching Educator with Canterbury Netball Union in 1996, teaching netball skills to those in primary and secondary schools. She served as the Nelson College for Girls’ netball coordinator, responsible for more than 50 teams and was the Coach and Manager for their Senior A team.
In a wide-ranging resume, Milne was the Facilitator of the Growth and Development Group for Nelson Netball and has been on the South Island Secondary Schools’ Management Committee since 1996, serving as secretary from 2009 - 2022. She has assisted and mentored many students and has organised South Island Masters Games tournaments.
Milne is a nationally recognised Netball Bench Official and has represented the Nelson region at national tournaments and games, including at Trans-Tasman Secondary School Championships and Silver Fern games.
In a clutch of achievements, she has been awarded a Service to School Sport New Zealand Award, a Netball New Zealand Service Award, a South Island Secondary Schools’ Service Award, a Lifetime Contribution to Sport Award from Sport Tasman, and is a Life Member of Nelson Netball.