Silver Ferns: New Zealand’s National Netball Team

Known the world over as the Silver Ferns, the New Zealand national netball team is one of the most successful sides in the sport’s history and the flagship of women’s team sport in Aotearoa New Zealand. In August 2026 the team ended a 16-year wait for a major title by winning Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow, beating Jamaica 56–48 in the final. This guide explains who the Silver Ferns are, how the 2026 team was built, the tactics and culture that define them, and where the side stands in world netball as it builds towards the 2027 World Cup in Sydney. Every figure below has been checked against official and reported sources.

A National Institution of New Zealand Sport

Netball is the leading participation and spectator sport for women and girls in New Zealand, and the Silver Ferns are its highest expression. The team is run by Netball New Zealand, the sport’s national governing body, which selects the squad, employs the coaching staff and funds the high-performance programme. On the current World Netball Rankings the Silver Ferns sit second in the world, behind the Australian Diamonds and ahead of England and Jamaica; their Glasgow gold narrowed the rating gap to Australia from ten points to six in the September 2026 update.

What sets the team apart is less any single player than a system: a national player pathway, a demanding conditioning culture and a clear tactical identity that have kept a country of roughly five million people competitive with far larger netball nations for almost a century. The 2026 season was a stern test of that system, coming after a medal-less 2023 World Cup and a year of off-court upheaval in 2025.

The 2026 Silver Ferns Squad

Netball New Zealand named a 12-strong squad for the Glasgow campaign, blending a small core of experienced internationals with a wave of debutants. Karin Burger captained the side, with midcourter Kate Heffernan as vice-captain, while goal shoot Grace Nweke — one of the most dominant aerial targets in the world game — anchored the attacking end. For a fuller breakdown of personnel and how selections are made, see our guide to the 2026–27 Silver Ferns squad.

Nine of the twelve made their Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow, among them Burger, Maddy Gordon, Catherine Hall, Georgia Heffernan, Kimiora Poi, Mila Reuelu-Buchanan, Martina Salmon, Carys Stythe and Amelia Walmsley. Defender Kelly Jackson was the most experienced, appearing at her third Games, while Nweke and Kate Heffernan attended their second.

• Captain: Karin Burger
• Vice-captain: Kate Heffernan
• Shooters: Grace Nweke, Georgia Heffernan, Martina Salmon, Amelia Walmsley
• Midcourt: Maddy Gordon, Kate Heffernan, Kimiora Poi, Mila Reuelu-Buchanan
• Defenders: Karin Burger, Kelly Jackson, Catherine Hall, Carys Stythe

A handful of players carry most of the on-court responsibility. The table below sets out five who shape how the Silver Ferns play, by position and the strength they add. In netball, GS is goal shoot, GD is goal defence, WD is wing defence, C is centre, WA is wing attack and GK is goal keeper.

The eligibility change that opened the door for overseas players

For years, Netball New Zealand required players to compete in the domestic ANZ Premiership to be eligible for the Silver Ferns. That changed in 2025, when the governing body relaxed its criteria to allow overseas-based players to be considered through a formal exemption process. The shift was prompted by Nweke’s move to the NSW Swifts in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball, widely regarded as the toughest domestic league in the world. Several of the Glasgow squad now play across the Tasman — Nweke at the Swifts, Kate Heffernan at the Adelaide Thunderbirds, and Maddy Gordon and Kelly Jackson at the Queensland Firebirds — so the change lets selectors draw on Kiwi stars wherever they are based, rather than losing them once they sign abroad.

Coaching Leadership: Dame Noeline Taurua

Dame Noeline Taurua is the Silver Ferns head coach and one of the most decorated tactical minds in the sport. She guided New Zealand to the 2019 World Cup title in Liverpool and, in September 2026, was confirmed in the role through to the 2027 World Cup. Her coaching philosophy leans heavily on culture and the Māori concept of mana — valuing the person behind the athlete — alongside uncompromising physical and tactical standards.

The 2025 coaching saga and governance reset

Taurua’s position was not always secure. During 2025 she was stood down while the organisation reviewed its high-performance practices, following concerns raised by some players after a training camp, before being reinstated in late October. The episode coincided with wider upheaval at Netball New Zealand: long-serving chief executive Jennie Wyllie departed in December 2025, Jane Patterson stepped in as interim chief executive from January 2026, and Chelsea Lane was appointed to a newly created Head of Performance — Silver Ferns role. The permanent appointment followed in 2026, with Jennah Wootten, previously chief executive of Aktive, taking over as Netball NZ chief executive on 12 August 2026. You can read more about this handover in our feature on Netball New Zealand’s leadership reset. The changes were intended to steady the organisation and let the athletes focus on Glasgow rather than off-court politics.

How the Silver Ferns Play: Tactics and Defensive Identity

Netball is played by seven players a side in fixed positions, and the “Silver Ferns Way” is built around structure and defensive pressure rather than relying on any one match-up. Where the Australian Diamonds have traditionally favoured relentless one-on-one “tagging”, New Zealand often uses a zonal approach in the midcourt: the wing defence and centre position to block passing lanes, forcing opponents to throw higher, looping passes that athletic circle defenders can attack. Under Taurua this has become a more hybrid system, switching between zone and tight marking off a set of cues, which opponents frequently describe as suffocating.

Neutralising the tall holding shooter

The rise of tall Caribbean and African shooters has pushed the Silver Ferns to refine a split-circle defence. One defender stays tight to the shooter’s body to disrupt the hold, while the second plays off to hunt the aerial feed and the rebound. It is a tactic designed for exactly the kind of opponent New Zealand faced on the way to the 2026 final, where Jamaica fielded one of the most powerful shooting circles in the game.

Glasgow 2026: How New Zealand Won Commonwealth Gold

Netball featured on the programme of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games as a 12-nation event staged at the OVO Hydro from 25 July to 2 August 2026. New Zealand came through the pool and knockout rounds unbeaten to reach the final, where the pressure was heightened by the opponent: Jamaica had stunned world No.1 Australia in the semi-finals to book their place, meaning the Diamonds missed a Commonwealth netball final for the first time. In the final on 2 August, the Silver Ferns beat Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls 56–48 to take gold — their first Commonwealth netball title since the 2010 Delhi Games. Grace Nweke was dominant with 48 goals from 54 attempts, scoring 23 of New Zealand’s first 25, and the win was sealed with the team’s trademark haka. Australia took bronze by beating England.

The result was significant beyond the medal. After finishing out of the medals at the 2023 World Cup and weathering a destabilising 2025, a gold at a major championship validated the rebuild and the decision to keep faith with Taurua and a largely new-look squad.

A History of Dominance: Five-Time World Champions

New Zealand holds a prestigious place in netball history as five-time World Cup winners, in 1967, 1979, 1987, 2003 and 2019. The rivalry with the Australian Diamonds is the fiercest in the sport, the two nations having contested the overwhelming majority of major finals since international netball began. The 2019 Liverpool final, won by a single goal over Australia, is remembered as one of the great matches, and the 2026 Commonwealth gold added a third Games title to go with golds in 2006 and 2010. Between major tournaments, the annual Constellation Cup series against Australia remains the clearest measure of where the two sides stand.

From 1938 to the modern game

New Zealand’s first international was played against Australia in 1938, in an era when the sport was a nine-a-side game often called women’s basketball. The transition to the international seven-a-side format laid the foundations for the tactical identity that defines the modern Kiwi style, and generations of players — from Irene van Dyk to Laura Langman and Casey Kopua — have carried it forward. Langman is the most-capped Silver Fern, with Netball New Zealand recording 163 test appearances; she overtook van Dyk’s previous mark in 2018.

The High-Performance Pathway

Success for the Silver Ferns is fuelled by a structured development pathway. At the top sits the ANZ Premiership, the six-team domestic league that supplies most of the national squad. Below it, the National Netball League and age-group programmes develop emerging talent, while a Silver Ferns development squad gives capped and fringe players international-standard training and the chance to step up when injuries strike. This “shadow squad” approach helped several debutants transition smoothly into the senior side in 2026.

• ANZ Premiership: six franchises; the primary feeder for the national team
• National Netball League: development competition linked to the franchises
• Age-group squads: under-21 and secondary-school pathways feeding the system
• Development squad: capped and fringe players training alongside the Silver Ferns

Culture and the Black Dress

The Silver Ferns’ identity is rooted in Aotearoa’s cultural fabric. The black dress carries a legacy comparable to the All Blacks’ jersey, representing national pride and a long history of women’s achievement in sport. The team incorporates Māori values and protocol, including the haka on the international stage, and reflects the strong Pasifika heritage within New Zealand netball. Coaches and players often describe this grounding as a genuine emotional edge in high-pressure tests, and it is one of the reasons the side has so often punched above the weight of its small population.

What Comes Next: The Road to Sydney 2027

With Commonwealth gold secured, attention turns to the 2027 Netball World Cup, to be hosted in Sydney. The challenges are real: the world’s leading teams are faster and more professional every cycle, and New Zealand must keep developing depth so that an injury to a key player such as Nweke does not derail a campaign. With settled coaching, a renewed board and management team, and a squad that has now tasted success together, the Silver Ferns are well placed for the next chapter — and a World Cup held just across the Tasman, in Australia’s back yard, adds an extra edge to the challenge.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the New Zealand netball team called?

The national team is known as the Silver Ferns, named after the silver fern that is a long-standing emblem of New Zealand sport. The team is selected and run by Netball New Zealand.

Did the Silver Ferns win the 2026 Commonwealth Games?

Yes. New Zealand beat Jamaica 56–48 in the final at Glasgow on 2 August 2026, winning their first Commonwealth netball gold since the 2010 Delhi Games and their third in total.

Who is the head coach of the Silver Ferns?

Dame Noeline Taurua is the head coach. She was reinstated after being stood down in 2025 and, in September 2026, was retained in the role through to the 2027 World Cup.

How many Netball World Cups has New Zealand won?

Five, in 1967, 1979, 1987, 2003 and 2019. New Zealand and Australia are the two most successful nations in the tournament’s history.

Who is the most-capped Silver Fern?

Laura Langman, with 163 test caps recorded by Netball New Zealand. She overtook Irene van Dyk’s previous record in 2018.