The Northern Stars are a professional netball team from South and East Auckland and one of the six franchises in New Zealand’s top league, the ANZ Premiership. Based at Pulman Arena in Takanini, the club has carried a reputation for punching above its weight: despite never lifting the trophy, the Stars have reached three grand finals and remain one of the most closely followed teams in Auckland netball. This guide explains who the Stars are, how they joined the league, their honours and season-by-season record, their coaches and captains, and the new-look squad leading the club through the 2026 season.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Northern Stars |
|---|---|
| Region | South and East Auckland, New Zealand |
| Competition | ANZ Premiership (six teams) |
| Founded | 2016 (first season 2017) |
| Home venue | Pulman Arena, Takanini |
| Name origin | Matariki (Pleiades) star cluster |
| Head coach | Temepara Bailey (since 2025) |
| Assistant coach | Leana de Bruin (2026) |
| Captain (2026) | Mila Reuelu-Buchanan |
| Honours | No titles; runners-up 2019, 2022, 2023 |
Who Are the Northern Stars?
The Northern Stars represent the South and East Auckland region in the ANZ Premiership, the elite domestic netball competition in New Zealand. Netball, for readers new to the sport, is a seven-a-side court game played mostly by women, in which players cannot run with the ball and each of the seven positions is restricted to certain thirds of the court.
The team’s home venue is Pulman Arena at Bruce Pulman Park in Takanini, in the south of Auckland. In their first season they also played out of the Vodafone Events Centre (now Due Drop Events Centre) in Manukau and ASB Stadium in Kohimarama before settling at Pulman Arena from 2018 onwards.
The club’s name and identity are drawn from Matariki, the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster whose rising marks the Māori New Year. The cluster is reflected in the team’s logo, tying the franchise to the wider Auckland community it draws players and fans from. The Stars sit within the Netball Northern zone, the same regional pathway that also feeds the Northern Mystics.
South and East Auckland is one of the most populous and diverse parts of New Zealand, and the Stars were conceived partly to give that community a top-flight team of its own close to home. Playing out of Takanini places the franchise within easy reach of the clubs, schools and junior competitions of Counties Manukau and the surrounding districts, which remain its core supporter base and recruiting ground.
How the Stars Joined the ANZ Premiership
The Northern Stars were established in 2016 and began competing in 2017, the inaugural season of the ANZ Premiership. The league was created after Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand wound up the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship at the end of the 2016 season, prompting Netball New Zealand to launch its own standalone domestic competition.
The ANZ Premiership launched with six teams. Five of them carried over from New Zealand’s ANZ Championship era — Central Pulse, the Mainland Tactix, the Northern Mystics, the Southern Steel and the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. The Northern Stars were the single brand-new franchise, created specifically to give fast-growing South Auckland its own elite team rather than sharing the region with the existing Mystics.
Former Melbourne Vixens head coach Julie Hoornweg was appointed as the Stars’ inaugural head coach, and experienced South African-born defender Leana de Bruin — one of the most capped players in the New Zealand game — became the club’s first captain. From the outset, the Stars positioned themselves as a development-focused side built around local Auckland talent.
Grand Final Appearances and Honours
The Northern Stars have yet to win an ANZ Premiership title, but they are the only side in the competition to reach three grand finals without claiming the trophy. Each of those appearances came against a higher-ranked opponent.
2019: the first final
In 2019 the Stars finished third in the regular season with six wins and nine losses, then exceeded expectations in the finals series to reach the grand final. They came up against a strong Central Pulse and lost a tight contest 52–48 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua. It was a landmark result for a club only in its third season.
2022: the best regular season
The 2022 campaign remains the Stars’ strongest. They finished the regular season second on the table with eleven wins and four losses and earned another shot at the title. Once again they faced Central Pulse, this time at the Pulse’s home venue, TSB Bank Arena in Wellington. The final proved one-sided, with the Stars beaten 56–37.
2023: the Auckland derby final
In 2023 the Stars finished third on nine wins and six losses, then produced a memorable 53–52 elimination-final win over Central Pulse to book a grand final place. There they met their crosstown rivals, the Northern Mystics, in an all-Auckland decider at Globox Arena in Hamilton, and lost 74–56. Earlier that same season the two Auckland clubs had played out one of the competition’s most dramatic regular-season games, the Stars edging the Mystics 79–77 in an overtime thriller on 24 April.
Season-by-Season Record
The table below summarises the Stars’ regular-season finishes and finals results across every ANZ Premiership season. It shows the pattern of their history: strong peaks in 2019, 2022 and 2023 either side of leaner rebuilding years.
Season-by-Season Record
| Season | Regular-season finish | Finals result |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 5th | Missed finals |
| 2018 | 6th | Missed finals |
| 2019 | 3rd | Runner-up (lost 52–48 to Central Pulse) |
| 2020 | 4th | Missed finals |
| 2021 | 4th | Missed finals |
| 2022 | 2nd | Runner-up (lost 56–37 to Central Pulse) |
| 2023 | 3rd | Runner-up (lost 74–56 to Northern Mystics) |
| 2024 | 5th | Missed finals (2–13) |
| 2025 | 6th | Missed finals |
| 2026 | 4th | Missed finals |
The 2024 season was the most difficult in the club’s history, finishing fifth with just two wins from fifteen games. The 2025 campaign was also tough, with the Stars propping up the table in sixth. Those back-to-back struggles set the stage for a significant off-season rebuild ahead of 2026.
Coaches and Leadership
The Stars have had three head coaches. Julie Hoornweg led the club through its formation and first season in 2016–17. She was followed by Kiri Wills, who took charge from 2017 and oversaw the 2019, 2022 and 2023 grand final runs before departing after the 2024 season. Former Silver Ferns and Stars midcourter Temepara Bailey was appointed head coach from 2025 and continues to lead the team.
For 2026, the coaching box has a familiar face alongside Bailey: the club’s first captain, Leana de Bruin, returned as assistant coach, pairing one of New Zealand netball’s most respected defenders with a head coach rebuilding the roster.
On the captaincy, Maia Wilson led the Stars for five seasons before leaving the club. Ahead of 2026 the players voted in midcourter Mila Reuelu-Buchanan as captain, with defender Kate Burley named vice-captain and returning Silver Ferns shooter Amelia Walmsley completing the leadership group.
The 2026 Squad and a New-Look Team
After two hard seasons, the Stars rebuilt their roster for 2026 and leaned into their identity as a side that develops and backs local talent. The headline signings were a young Silver Ferns shooting pairing — Amelia Walmsley, who returned to Auckland after spells with the Mainland Tactix and Central Pulse, and fellow Silver Fern Martina Salmon. Experienced midcourter Claire O’Brien also joined, adding depth to a line-up built around captain Mila Reuelu-Buchanan.
The confirmed 2026 playing squad is:
- Mila Reuelu-Buchanan (captain)
- Kate Burley (vice-captain)
- Amelia Walmsley
- Martina Salmon
- Claire O’Brien
- Samon Nathan
- Aimee Landrigan
- Crystal Maro
- Greer Sinclair
- Lili Tokaduadua
The rebuild showed early promise. The Stars opened the 2026 season with a 63–59 win over the Northern Mystics, their new shooting combination of Walmsley and Salmon both playing the full match and converting above 90 per cent. The team ultimately finished fourth, outside the finals, but with a clearly more competitive squad than the previous two seasons had fielded.
Notable Players and the Silver Ferns Pathway
Although the Stars are one of the league’s younger franchises, the club has been a regular supplier of players to the national side, the Silver Ferns, and to New Zealand age-group and development teams. That role as a talent pathway is central to the club’s identity.
Leana de Bruin set the tone as the inaugural captain, bringing more than a decade of international defending to a brand-new side before later returning as a coach. Shooter Maia Wilson became the face of the club through its grand final years, captaining the team for five seasons and earning Silver Ferns selection while at the Stars. Midcourter Gina Crampton and defender Kate Burley are among others who combined Stars duties with international honours.
The 2026 rebuild deepened that pathway further. Amelia Walmsley and Martina Salmon are both Silver Ferns shooters in the early stages of their test careers, and captain Mila Reuelu-Buchanan has long been one of the competition’s most reliable feeders. For young players in South and East Auckland, the Stars offer a visible local route from club and school netball toward the professional game.
Rivalries and Where the Stars Fit
The Stars’ sharpest rivalry is with the Northern Mystics. Both teams draw on the Auckland region, which makes their meetings genuine local derbies — none more so than the 2023 grand final and the 79–77 overtime classic from the same year. Central Pulse is the club’s other defining opponent, having beaten the Stars in both the 2019 and 2022 grand finals.
Within the six-team ANZ Premiership, the Stars are usually framed as the youthful, development-minded franchise: quick to blood emerging players and capable of upsetting more fancied sides on their day. Several players have used the club as a springboard toward Silver Ferns selection, reinforcing its role in the Auckland and national pathway.
How to Follow the Northern Stars
Home games are played at Pulman Arena in Takanini during the ANZ Premiership season, which typically runs across the New Zealand winter from around March to June. Fixtures, tickets, news and merchandise are published on the team’s official website. ANZ Premiership matches are broadcast within New Zealand, so fans can also follow the Stars live on television and streaming during the season.
For supporters wanting the wider context, the Stars are best understood alongside the other franchises and the structure of the competition itself, from the regular-season format through to the finals series that has three times ended in a grand final for the South Auckland side.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Where are the Northern Stars based and where do they play?
The Northern Stars represent South and East Auckland. Their home venue is Pulman Arena at Bruce Pulman Park in Takanini, which they have used since 2018. In their first season they also played at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau and ASB Stadium in Kohimarama.
Have the Northern Stars ever won the ANZ Premiership?
No. The Stars have never won the title. They have reached three grand finals — in 2019, 2022 and 2023 — and finished runners-up each time, losing twice to Central Pulse and once to the Northern Mystics.
Who coaches the Northern Stars?
Temepara Bailey has been head coach since 2025. She took over from Kiri Wills, who led the team from 2017 to 2024, after inaugural coach Julie Hoornweg guided the club through its formation. Leana de Bruin serves as assistant coach for the 2026 season.
Who captains the Northern Stars in 2026?
Midcourter Mila Reuelu-Buchanan was named captain for 2026, taking over from Maia Wilson, who had led the side for five seasons. Defender Kate Burley is vice-captain, with returning Silver Ferns shooter Amelia Walmsley also in the leadership group.
When did the Northern Stars join the ANZ Premiership?
The club was founded in 2016 and began competing in 2017, the first season of the ANZ Premiership. The Stars were the only brand-new team in the six-side league, which otherwise carried over the New Zealand franchises from the former ANZ Championship.
