Rotorua's Maylene Meroiti (right) was named Cadbury Volunteer Coach of the Year at the New Zealand Netball Awards. Photo / Michael Bradley Photography
Rotorua's Maylene Meroiti (right) was named Cadbury Volunteer Coach of the Year at the New Zealand Netball Awards. Photo / Michael Bradley Photography
While top players such as Laura Langman and Ameliaranne Ekenasio were rightfully recognised at the New Zealand Netball Awards, there was also a segment of the night dedicated to those who give those players the tools to shine.
In any sport, having dedicated volunteers is crucial. One such volunteer isRotorua's Maylene Meroiti, whose passion for the game was recognised when she was named Cadbury Volunteer Coach of the Year in Auckland on Wednesday night.
"I was super excited, ecstatic, emotional - all those things," Meroiti said.
Meroiti grew up at netball courts, her mum was a representative player, and as soon as she was old enough she took to the courts herself and has played the game for much of her life.
About 10 years ago, injuries meant she was no longer able to play the game she loves. She was desperate to remain involved and got into coaching.
Now, at 45, she coaches school teams, club teams, Rotorua representative teams and Bay of Plenty representative teams. She also runs development programmes for both players and other coaches and facilitates coaching modules for the Netball Waikato/Bay of Plenty zone.
"They also looked at my coaching philosophy, which is the nga papa whā tanga model. That pretty much represents all things te reo Māori and just kind of implements all that into my coaching, into players, into their whānau and making connections.
"It's all about them as a person not just them on the court playing netball - I look at the connections with their whānau, their hapū, their iwi, their marae, their school, everything.
Tayla Earle was named the Special K Aspiring Silver Fern at the New Zealand Netball Awards on Wednesday night. Photo / Photosport
"I'm just passionate about netball, it's always been in my family, lots of sports have. It's just been in our lives since childhood, netball is part of the family."
The thing she enjoyed most about coaching and the reason she volunteered so many of her hours to the sport was seeing players grow.
"It's really seeing the benefits that the athletes take on board, watching them grow and become passionate about what they're doing. It's seeing it in their faces, seeing it when they're happy on the court. It's when they're selected for performance programmes and selected for rep teams and you kind of know that you've contributed towards some of that progress.
"That really is an intrinsic reward."
I'm just passionate about netball, it's always been in my family, lots of sports have. It's just been in our lives since childhood, netball is part of the family.
The reach of her coaching influence was on display during the awards when Rotorua's Tayla Earle, a player Meroiti coached at Rotorua Girls' High School, was named Special K Aspiring Silver Fern after an outstanding season with the Northern Mystics.
"I coached her when I was the coach of the Premier 1 team at Rotorua Girls' High and a Rotorua rep team. We both got recognised on the same night, it was really quite cool. That's the feeling for me as a coach, that's the reward and the passion - why you do what you do. I was just as excited to see her win.
Meroiti is also on her Netball New Zealand performance coach qualification pathway and has big goals for the future.
"I've been really focused on my coaching pathway for the last seven or eight years so I'm fairly new as a coach. I would really love to be the Magic coach some day, because that's our zone.
"Above that, a New Zealand secondary school team or the highest, highest goal would be to coach the Silver Ferns, Noeline Taurua is definitely one of my idols.
"You have to work your way through and gain experience so being on this pathway is definitely the right place to be."
2019 Netball New Zealand Award Winners
Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award
Laura Langman
MYOB Silver Ferns Player of the Year
Ameliaranne Ekenasio
More FM People's Choice
Ameliaranne Ekenasio
Sky Sport Moment of the Year
Silver Ferns Netball World Cup victory
National Awards:
ANZ Premiership Player of the Year
Gina Crampton
ANZ Premiership Coach of the Year
Yvette McCausland-Durie
ANZ Premiership Umpire of the Year
Josh Bowring
Special K Aspiring Silver Fern
Tayla Earle
Beko Netball League Player of the Year
Ali Wilshier
NZ Police Secondary Schools Player of the Year
Grace Nweke
Barfoot & Thompson National Coach of Year
Pelesa Semu
GJ Gardner National Umpire of the Year
Myron Elkington
Outstanding Contribution to Netball by a Technical Official
Lisa Aull
Contribution to NZ Netball Players Association, supported by Puma
Adine Wilson
Volunteer Awards:
Cadbury Volunteer Coach of the Year
Maylene Meroiti
Cadbury Volunteer Official of the Year
Sonia Kupuri
Cadbury Volunteer Administrator of the Year
Jenny Hickson
Cadbury Youth Volunteer of the Year
Jessica Gill
Cadbury Community Volunteer Community Champion of the Year
