The Silver Ferns will start their world championship campaign with a two-test series against South Africa in November.
Netball New Zealand has been keen to host a season-ending series but its options looked limited after a tri-nations series involving New Zealand, Australia and South Africa fell through.
"We were really disappointed the
tri-nations couldn't go ahead," said Netball NZ chief executive Shelley McMeeken.
"We have been liaising with South Africa since and were reasonably confident but just needed to get a few things signed off before it went ahead."
A Silver Ferns squad will be named after the national championships next week and McMeeken said it was important those players got together this year with a view to the world tournament in Jamaica next July.
"We're only nine months out from the world champs and this [series] will be a perfect start," McMeeken said.
"It's a really, really important time for us. We have been mindful of the players [workload] but I think they will be delighted with this, and what better way to end the year than with a series win."
With the timing of the world championships, Netball NZ has had to restructure its fixtures next year.
McMeeken said the players knew there had to be sacrifices to achieve their goals.
South Africa are certain to include their exciting shooting prospect, the towering Sindisiwe Gumede.
She was the leading scorer at the Commonwealth Games with 253 goals. South Africa finished fifth at the Games.
By all accounts Gumede is a younger version of former Proteas captain Irene van Dyk, who now spearheads the Silver Ferns attack.
Gumede is 1.95m (6ft 4 1/2in) tall, compared with the Silver Ferns twin towers, van Dyk at 1.90m, and Daneka Wipiiti at 1.92m.
The first test is in Auckland on November 1 and the second in Christchurch the following day.
- NZPA
