Netball Northern Zone would like to share some changes to our Board team, with a farewell to two of our current board members and a welcome to new team members Michele Teague (appointed); Rawinia Newton, Maria Sopoaga and Kurt Tyson (co-opted).
Three founding Board members: Dianne Williams, Raewyn Henry and Murray Lockwood are due to complete their terms at our next AGM. With such a significant change coming up we needed to have a strong succession plan in place and ensure a smooth transition by bringing new board members on early to work and learn alongside our existing, experienced team.
Michele is an experienced commercial director having held roles in Australia following an executive career in marketing for companies such as K-Mart and Fletchers.
Rawinia is currently completing an MBA, prior to which she held executive roles with SKY TV. Rawinia was a previous director of Greater Auckland Netball Ltd, the original franchise owner of the Northern Mystics prior to the inception of the Zone structures in 2012.
Maria is a solicitor with Auckland Council and holds board roles with Harbour Sport and Oxfam. Maria has played high level netball in NZ and Australia.
Kurt is currently Marketing Manager Gaming & Loyalty at Sky City having worked previously for TAB, the Crusaders and Lightbox Sport and as a board member of NZ American Football Federation.
Equally important as welcoming new Board members, it is important to farewell and acknowledge the contribution of two board members who have made a significant contribution to our Board team and netball, who are leaving the Board.
David Ronaldson resigned at our AGM in March after 8 years on the Board. His wise counsel, calm approach and thoughtful viewpoints were always appreciated and will be missed. David has had several different roles in netball over a 30-year period including Counties Manukau Netball Board Member and Chair and founding elected member of the Zone Board total for a total of 16 years in governance for netball. David also had 30 years of dedication to umpiring, gaining his NZ badge he umpired many national leagues and competitions and was an umpire coach.
Brad Walker was a co-opted member for three years and shared his marketing, brand and digital skills along with being a cultural advisor. Brad was responsible for the design of our stunning Mystics dresses over several seasons, incorporating the cultural richness of our diverse Zone, along with the values of our athletes into the dress each season.
Thank you to both David and Brad for your outstanding contribution to the Northern Zone.
The full Board is:
Mary Gardiner (Chair); Sue Brewster (Deputy Chair); Murray Lockwood; Dianne Williams; Raewyn Henry; Lynette Gubb; Michele Teague; Rawinia Newton, Maria Sopoaga and Kurt Tyson.
