Maria Folau

Maria Folau, known for most of her playing days as Maria Tutaia, is one of the most accomplished shooters in the history of New Zealand netball. Over a 14-year international career she won a Netball World Cup, two Commonwealth Games gold medals and became the second-most capped player ever to wear the Silver Ferns dress. This guide sets out who she is, the clubs she played for, how her career unfolded and why she is remembered as a genuine netball great.

Who is Maria Folau?

Maria Folau (née Tuta’ia) is a retired New Zealand netballer who represented the national team, the Silver Ferns, from 2005 to 2019. She played mainly as a shooter and was celebrated for her long-range accuracy — the ability to convert goals from the very edge of the shooting circle, an area many shooters avoid.

In netball, only two players per team are allowed to score: the Goal Shoot (GS) and the Goal Attack (GA), and both must shoot from inside the semi-circular “shooting circle” in front of the post. Folau filled both of these shooting positions during her career, which made her a flexible and dangerous option for any coach.

Early life and background

She was born Solonaima Maria Tuta’ia on 18 February 1987 in Tokoroa, a town in New Zealand’s central North Island. Her parents had emigrated from Samoa in 1983, making Folau New Zealand-born of Samoan heritage. (She is sometimes wrongly described as being “from Tonga” — that Tongan connection actually belongs to her husband, rugby player Israel Folau.) She adopted the name “Maria” at school because teachers found her given first name difficult to pronounce.

Standing 1.88 metres tall, she had the height and reach that suit a front-line shooter, and her talent was obvious from a young age through school and representative netball before she stepped into the elite domestic game.

Club career

Folau’s domestic career spanned New Zealand’s national league and, in her final season, Australia’s Super Netball competition. A common myth places her early career at the Mainland Tactix; in fact she never played for that Christchurch-based franchise.

Auckland Diamonds and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic

Her elite club journey began with the Auckland Diamonds in the National Bank Cup between 2005 and 2007. She then moved to the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic for the 2008 and 2009 seasons as the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship era began, making 31 appearances for the Hamilton-based side.

Northern Mystics

From 2010, Folau became the face of the Northern Mystics, the Auckland-based franchise she would represent for nine seasons through to 2018. She played 164 games in the blue strip, becoming one of the most recognisable and prolific scorers in the league across both the ANZ Championship and its successor, the ANZ Premiership.

Adelaide Thunderbirds

In 2019 she moved across the Tasman to join the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball, playing 13 games in what proved to be her final club season before retiring at the end of the year.

Silver Ferns international career

Folau made her Silver Ferns debut on 13 November 2005 against Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls, the same year she helped New Zealand win the World Youth Netball Championship. She went on to earn 150 test caps, finishing as the second-most capped Silver Fern of all time behind Laura Langman. At the Netball World Cup in Sydney in 2015 she became just the fourth Silver Fern to reach 100 tests.

World Cup and Commonwealth Games

Folau’s crowning achievement came at the 2019 Netball World Cup in Liverpool, England, where the Silver Ferns beat Australia in the final to claim the world title — her only World Cup gold and a fitting climax to her career. It is worth correcting a common mix-up: New Zealand did not win the 2015 World Cup in Sydney; they lost that final to Australia and took silver.

She also won two Commonwealth Games gold medals, at Melbourne 2006 and Delhi 2010. The Delhi final is part of netball folklore — New Zealand edged Australia 66–64 after extra time, and it was Folau who slotted the winning goal in sudden-death play. She added a Commonwealth Games silver at Glasgow 2014.

Fast5 and other honours

Beyond the traditional game, Folau was a regular in the shortened, higher-scoring Fast5 format, helping New Zealand to multiple Fast5 Netball World Series titles as well as gold at the 2009 World Netball Series. She also collected World Netball Championship silver medals in 2007 and 2011.

Playing style and statistics

Folau was regarded as one of the most feared shooters in world netball, best known for her range: she could convert goals from the outer edge of the circle where the angle to the post is tightest. That threat forced defenders to guard her further from the post, opening space for her teammates.

Across her Silver Ferns career she scored 1,633 goals from 2,092 attempts, an accuracy of roughly 78 per cent — strong figures for a shooter who regularly attempted difficult long-range shots rather than only easy chances close to the post.

Honours and achievements

Folau’s medal cabinet reflects a career at the top of the international game across three formats — the 60-minute test game, the World Series and Fast5.

Personal life

Off the court, Folau married Australian rugby player Israel Folau on 15 November 2017 and took his surname, having previously been known throughout her career as Maria Tutaia. Israel Folau is a dual-code rugby player of Tongan heritage who represented Australia in rugby union. It was partly to be closer to her husband that Maria moved to Adelaide for her final club season in 2019.

Folau has kept a following on social media, sharing her netball and family life with fans. Her Instagram account is @mariatutaia, and she has used the same handle on TikTok.

Retirement and legacy

In December 2019, Netball New Zealand confirmed that Folau had retired from both international and domestic netball, ending a 14-year Silver Ferns career. Her final national duties came during that year’s Constellation Cup series against Australia.

Her legacy rests on longevity, consistency and a shooting style that expanded what a goal attack could do. As one of the most-capped Silver Ferns in history and a World Cup winner, she remains a reference point for young New Zealand shooters and a central figure in the story of the modern Silver Ferns.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Where was Maria Folau born?

She was born Solonaima Maria Tuta’ia on 18 February 1987 in Tokoroa, New Zealand. Her parents emigrated from Samoa in 1983, so she is New Zealand-born of Samoan heritage rather than Tongan.

Which clubs did Maria Folau play for?

She played for the Auckland Diamonds (2005-07), the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic (2008-09), the Northern Mystics (2010-18) and, in her final season, the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Australia (2019).

How many caps did Maria Folau win for the Silver Ferns?

She earned 150 test caps between 2005 and 2019, making her the second-most capped Silver Fern of all time behind Laura Langman.

Did Maria Folau win the Netball World Cup?

Yes. She won the 2019 Netball World Cup with the Silver Ferns in Liverpool, England. New Zealand did not win the 2015 World Cup in Sydney; they finished runners-up to Australia that year.

Who is Maria Folau married to?

She married rugby player Israel Folau in November 2017 and took his surname, having played most of her career under her maiden name, Maria Tutaia.