Noeline Taurua

Dame Noeline Taurua DNZM (born 26 March 1968) is a New Zealand international netball coach and former representative player. She is currently head coach of the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns.

Dame Noeline Taurua
DNZM
Taurua in 2020
Personal information
Full name Noeline Taurua
Born (1968-03-26) 26 March 1968
Papakura, Auckland, New Zealand
Netball career
Playing position(s): GA, WA
Years National team(s) Caps
1994–99  New Zealand 34
Coaching career
Years Team(s)
2002–13 Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic
2016 Southern Steel
2017–19 Sunshine Coast Lightning
2018–present  New Zealand
Medal record
Representing  New Zealand
World Netball Championships
Bronze medal – third place1995 BirminghamNetball
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 1998 Kuala LumpurNetball

Early life

Taurua was born in Papakura to Kingi and Polly Taurua. Her ancestry is Ngāpuhi on her father's side, and Ngāti Whātua on her mother's side. Taurua is the youngest of five children.[1] She expressed an interest in Athletics in her schooling years.[2]

Playing career

Taurua was a member of the Silver Ferns from 1993–99. During that time, she won a silver medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur[3] and a bronze medal at the 1995 Netball World Championships in Birmingham. A knee injury in 1999 ended her playing career, having played in 34 test matches for the Silver Ferns.[4]

Coaching career

In 2011, Taurua acted as unofficial assistant coach to the Silver Ferns alongside Ruth Aitken.[5] The following year, she accepted an official position as Silver Ferns assistant coach after being offered the role several times.[6] In domestic netball, Taurua coached the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic from 2002–13, leading them to two National Bank Cup titles (2005, 2006) and one ANZ Championship title (2012).[7]

In 2013, Taurua retired from coaching duties for the Silver Ferns after one and a half seasons, citing family reasons.[8] She also stepped down as head coach of the Magic after eleven years at the franchise.[5] Her replacement at the Magic was former New South Wales Swifts coach Julie Fitzgerald.[9] Taurua later accepted a role as head coach for Southern Steel in their final 2016 ANZ Championship season.[10]

After the dissolution of the ANZ Championship in 2016, the Sunshine Coast Lightning announced the signing of Taurua heading into the 2017 season of the Suncorp Super Netball league in Australia. Taurua coached the Lightning to back-to-back premierships in 2017 and 2018,[11] and a minor premiership in 2019.[12] She was selected as the head coach of the New Zealand national netball team in August 2018.[13] During her time as Silver Ferns head coach, New Zealand won the 2018 Fast5 Netball World Series and 2019 Netball World Cup.[14][15] As well as being the national team coach, Taurua continued to coach the Lightning in Australia. On 20 August 2019, Taurua announced her departure from the Lightning after her third year coaching the team.[16]

Taurua was not shortlisted for the role of head coach in 2015,[17] however, after the resignation of Janine Southby from a failed Commonwealth Games campaign, she accepted the job as the Silver Ferns 11th coach.[18]

In 2019, Taurua coached the Silver Ferns to a 52-51 win over the Australian Diamonds in the Netball World Cup in Liverpool,[19] a competition the team hadn't won since 2003.[20] Taurua then coached the team to win the 2021 Constellation Cup, ending a nine year drought.[21]

In February 2021, Taurua confirmed that she would coach the Silver Ferns until 2023.[22] The team won a Bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.[23]

Despite a disappointing 2023 Netball World Cup with the Silver Ferns finishing fourth, their worst ever in history, Tarurua's coaching was still held in high regard and her contract was extended until January 2024. [24]

Taurua is known for her strict fitness criteria for any Silver Fern trialists and players.[25]

Awards and honors
  • 2018: Queensland Sport Coach of the Year[26]
  • 2018: Tai Tokerau Māori Sports Awards – Coach of the Year[27]
  • 2019: Matariki Awards – Te Waitā Award for Sport[28]
  • 2020: Halberg Award Coach of the year [29]

In the 2020 New Year Honours, Taurua was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to netball.[30]

Taurua was appointed to the High Performance Sport New Zealand board in September 2022, to work alongside athletic gold medalist Valerie Adams, Black Sox coach Don Tricker and Paralympic swimmer Duane Kale.[31]

Personal life

Taurua is married to Edward Goldsmith, with whom she has five children.[32] They divide their time between their homes in Mount Maunganui and Pukehina Beach.[33]

References
  1. "Netball: Taurua's supermarket sweep".
  2. "Noeline Taurua: 'Why am I doing this?'". 2 July 2016.
  3. "Profile at the New Zealand Olympic Committee website". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015.
  4. Egan, Brendon (30 August 2018). "New Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua's resume speaks for itself". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  5. "Netball". 1 NEWS.
  6. "Taurua accepts Silver Ferns assistant coach role". Stuff. 19 June 2012.
  7. "Netball: At last! Magic claim win for NZ". nzherald.co.nz. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  8. "Netball: No Magic wand for Silver Ferns - Sport - NZ Herald News". The New Zealand Herald. 16 March 2013.
  9. "Fitzgerald appointed new Magic coach - ANZ Championship". www.anz-championship.com. 5 July 2013. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  10. "Noeline Taurua new Southern Steel coach". The New Zealand Herald. 6 December 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  11. Bacic, Angela. "Lightning take back-to-back premierships". The Women's Game. The Women's Game. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  12. "Lightning Wrap-up Top Spot After Dominant Win Over Thunderbirds". Super Netball. Suncorp Super Netball. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  13. "Noeline Taurua To Assume Dual Coaching Role". Suncorp Super Netball. 30 August 2018.
  14. Egan, Brendon (29 October 2018). "Fast5 Ferns hold off Jamaica to win thrilling Fast5 World Series title". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  15. Egan, Brendon (22 July 2019). "Netball World Cup: Silver Ferns upset Australia to capture title". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  16. "Sunshine Coast Lightning Coaches Announcement". Sunshine Coast Lightning. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  17. Netball NZ get Silver Ferns head coaching decision right, three years on
  18. "NZ Herald - Breaking news, latest news, business, sport and entertainment - NZ Herald". The New Zealand Herald.
  19. Silver Ferns win Netball World Cup: How the world reacted
  20. Tears, triumphs, and tribulations: How the Silver Ferns have fared at Netball World Cup
  21. Netball: Silver Ferns clinch Constellation Cup with thrilling comeback win over Australia
  22. Netball: Dame Noeline Taurua re-signs with Netball New Zealand and Silver Ferns
  23. "Mental shift helps Silver Ferns snare netball bronze". Radio New Zealand. 8 August 2022.
  24. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/dame-noeline-tauruas-silver-ferns-contract-extended/2ZMVJ5RAFRHGHLM6J3LZ7F5PSQ/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. "Noeline Taurua issues ultimatum to Silver Ferns: 'Get fit, or sit'". 7 December 2018.
  26. "Taurua takes out Queensland Coach of the Year". Sunshine Coast Lightning. 30 November 2018.
  27. "Taurua honoured in Maori Sports Awards". Silver Ferns website. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  28. "Māori making a difference rewarded at Matariki Awards". The New Zealand Herald. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  29. Dame Noeline Taurua wins Coach of the Year - Halbergs
  30. "New Year Honours 2020: The full list". The New Zealand Herald. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  31. "Dame Noeline Taurua appointed to High Performance Sport NZ board".
  32. Bertrand, Kelly (7 January 2020). "Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua on coming home to NZ and her plan of attack for 2020". New Zealand Women's Weekly.
  33. "Dame Noeline Taurua shoots for the holy grail of coaching". The Post. 11 June 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
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