Former Crusaders lock Steve Lancaster will take the reins of Netball New Zealand from today.

It might be time for Australian teams to acknowledge the threat of the Southern Steel.

As the final season of the ANZ Championship winds down, there are a lot of "lasts" to tick off over the coming weeks.

The race for the third and final play-off spot in the New Zealand conference has tightened even further.

The high-flying Southern Steel have brought an abrupt halt to the Magic's five-match winning streak with a convincing 64-54 win in Invercargill today.

The Northern Mystics transtasman league play-off hopes are looking increasingly tenuous after falling to another crushing defeat across the Tasman.

The Steel rolled the Firebirds like a bona fide southern 'r' in their top-of-the-table ANZ netball championship match.

Netball New Zealand's new five-year TV deal with Sky is understood to be to the same level the broadcaster was paying for the ANZ Championship.

Netball NZ's departing Hilary Poole says her only regret in the role is that the decision to split away from the ANZ Championship did not come sooner.

Netball New Zealand is set to undergo further change, with chief executive Hilary Poole announcing her resignation today.

The Magic have pulled off a masterful escape act at The Trusts Arena, edging out the Northern Mystics in the final few minutes after trailing at every exchange.

Southern Steel skipper Wendy Frew isn't one to make demands.

Netball NZ's high performance director Steve Lancaster believes they are the right people to lead the national programme through a time of transition.

The Magic's mid-season revival is gathering pace after notching up their third straight win with an dominant victory over the Central Pulse in Tauranga tonight.

The Southern Steel may be the only unbeaten team left in the transtasman league this season but their record hasn't silenced all their critics.

Rookie defender Holly Fowler, who has been a regular starter for the Auckland side this season, is the latest to join the casualty list after picking up a foot injury.

The major Counties Manukau schools netball competition will take place this season at the Manurewa centre, not Papakura as in 2015.

The Southern Steel extended their lead atop the New Zealand conference standings with a tight win over a determined Pulse outfit.

The sad state of the transtasman league's New Zealand conference deteriorated further over the weekend as the chasing Kiwi teams failed to seize their opportunities.

The Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic triumphed 49-45 in a riveting local derby.

Kiwi franchises are gearing up for an arms race for the top international netballing talent following the transtasman league split.

Netball New Zealand will likely foot the bill for a new Auckland-based franchise for the first couple of years.