A local school principal and former Silver Ferns and Black Ferns manager Jackie Barron has been appointed to the board of Sport New Zealand by Sport and Recreation Minister Murray McCully.
Minister McCully yesterday appointed Mrs Barron and said she was a seasoned educator and sports administrator with more than a decade of experience at the highest level of netball and women's rugby.
The current principal of Havelock's Woodford House, Mrs Barron has had a successful career in sports management, having managed the Black Ferns during their 2002 Women's Rugby World Cup victory as well as the Silver Ferns, Southern Sting and New Zealand under-21 netball sides.
She said she was thrilled to be appointed to the position and looked forward to the challenges ahead.
"I'm really delighted and honoured to put my name forward and then be appointed," she said. "I hope to bring a unique perspective from an educational background. I've lived my whole life in the provinces and hope to promote a number of opportunities for women in sport."
She said she hoped to tackle the problems facing women's sport with help from the board as well as her experience in the sports industry.
"There are just too many woman dropping out of sport at a young age, so we will try to help correct that."