Tagata Pasifika

The Pacific voice on
New Zealand television
since 1987

Tagata Pasifika

The Pacific voice on
New Zealand television
since 1987

Throwback: 1999 World Netball Championships | Part one

Avatar photo
Soana Aholelei | Reporter / Director

Netball New Zealand marks an historic milestone celebrating 100 years of the game. In 1924 the game, originally called Women’s Basketball, was renamed in 1970.

The seven-a-side game is also a very popular sport across the Pacific, where many netball legends such as Margaret Matenga, Rita Fatialofa, Bernice Mene and Vilimaina Davu and Maria Folau to name a few, donned bibs for the Silver Ferns. 

Across the ditch the great Mo’onia Gerrard represented the Australian Diamonds.

Now that netball has entered the professional arena, players are now choosing to play for their heritage. This was evident in the Netball World Cup held in Cape Town in 2023.

To celebrate the milestone, we take a look at the Netball World Cup 1999 in Christchurch.

The current Netball World Ranking to date:
Tonga Talas WR 8
Fijian Pearls WR 15
Samoa WR 17
Cook Islands WR 33

Stay Connected

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive daily updates direct to your inbox!

*we hate spam as much as you do