Holly Parish

Emerging Leader – Southern

I am very passionate about women’s basketball and hope to make basketball coaching my future career. I love being involved in the North Canterbury community where I have made strong relationships with the girls here over all age groups.

My motivation stems from growing the Girls Got Game programme and making sure girls of all ages and backgrounds have the access to the opportunities that they want and deserve.

I want to make a positive impact in women’s basketball. Having been a coach, player, referee, and floor controller, I am very passionate about becoming a leader/role model from the young girls in my community.

I’m super interested in helping grow the girls got game in Aotearoa and would love to be more involved with the Girls Got Game programme and to see it launched into high schools in the community.  

I am always motivated to learn more about the women’s game and this is an amazing opportunity to do so. I am excited to make new connections throughout the country and be part of an amazing network going forwards. 

Nicole Gleason

Emerging Leader – Southern

My passion is sports in general and seeing my teammates and players succeed. I would say my grandma motivates me as she gave up everything to make a better life for her family. My mom does the same now for her kids, so that pushes me to be better. 

I want to be able to influence people to become better players/people, particularly when I’m coaching younger kids who are just learning basketball and eager to learn.  

I currently play for a local club and work for Canterbury Basketball Association as the Junior Events and Competitions Officer. I also deliver Girls Got Game into primary and intermediate schools. I want to learn new skills from this programme that will make me a better leader, coach, and player. 

Petra Sparks

Emerging Leader – Southern

My father introduced me to basketball when I was about 13 years old. Seeing him work to provide for our family, while also finding time to coach and develop basketball in our community is extremely motivational.

In Dunedin I have been helping out with Girls Got Game, involved with development programmes, basketball holiday programmes, coaching secondary basketball teams and refereeing basketball leagues. I want to be able to develop sport more in communities and continue to see basketball grow in New Zealand and make sure we have the resources available to support this.

Giving back to the community drives my success and motivates me to achieve my long-term goals, as I ideally want to see my hometown and the next generation flourish by providing opportunities that were not available for me and my peers. I hope to make a difference for female athletes out there and hopefully provide more opportunities to create an even playing field.

Sophie Currie

Emerging Leader – Southern

Being from a small town (Westport) means I was lucky enough to experience an incredibly supportive community with countless volunteers and supporters aiding in developing young people. I am passionate about becoming one of those people myself as I have the experience and capacity to as I get older.  

I’m already involved in the Selwyn Hawks club committee in which I been involved in referee support, bench duty presentations and general competition support. I have also recently taken on the junior referee developer role for the club. I participate in this way as it feels good to give back to a sport that gave me so much growing up and I want to make sure that the next generations have the opportunity for similar experiences. 

I love feeling part of a community and have found this in basketball wherever I have lived. I love seeing young people find the same joy in sport that I got to experience in my teenage years.  This programme is a great opportunity to develop leadership skills and contribute to the community I live in. I believe this would be a very fulfilling programme to be part of to make a tangible difference. 

Brittney Young

I am very passionate about women’s basketball, in particular female referees. I’m passionate about creating equal opportunities for women in all aspects of basketball, growing confidence in referees and making sure they have the support they need to excel in a referee role. 

I am a female who has experienced first-hand what it’s like to be discriminated against in a basketball setting. I want to lift spirits of female basketballers/referees and give them courage and a pathway they can follow to achieve what it is they want to achieve. 

I have become who I am through refereeing and playing, and want people to also learn valuable life skills through basketball which they can then apply in everyday life such as work. I want to be a positive female figure for Dunedin basketball and be a driving force in the lives of females. 

Daphne Martinez

Emerging Leader – Central

I’ve always been an advocate for minorities within our sporting communities, whether it be through gender, race, nationality, economic status. These opportunities include playing, volunteering, and officiating basketball, as sport is more than just playing. Knowing that there are people who miss out from the game due to their circumstances motivates me to always push the boundaries to allow more opportunities. 

Within the basketball community, I am actively involved in refereeing at national tournaments and play a part in developing some of Wellington’s younger referees. I also help organize a local league in Wellington, Alpha Basketball League, where I’m in charge as a Social Media Coordinator while also refereeing and stand in as Commissioner or Technical Commissioner when needed.  

I would like to be part of development opportunities and designing programmes, pathways, leagues, competitions, and tournaments for all participants of basketball. Especially leading youth to the different opportunities that basketball has to offer, that playing isn’t the only option when it comes to basketball. The women’s game is just as valuable as the men’s, and I want to be part of creating this change within Aotearoa.

Raneigh Hannah

Emerging Leader – Central

I have loved basketball since I was young and I was always told that I was too short to play or be any good and it just pushed me harder to show hard work wins over talent.  

I am currently studying Architecture in Wellington but have been an active member of Te Aroha Basketball over the last few years. I played on our college senior girls team, coached our junior girls and refereed as well.  

I believe this programme will help with my confidence and coaching in the future of teaching younger wahine to play. I want to become a person who younger women look up to and be someone my community can see as a leader and mentor, but also someone they can talk to if they need. 

Ella Major

Emerging Leader – Central

As a young girl, I was always supported by family, coaches, and teachers to grow and develop my sporting skills, and I consider myself to be very lucky to have had the opportunity to try out a wide range of sports. At university, I learnt a lot about what pathways within the sporting world really interest me including coaching, outdoor education and physical health promotion through a holistic lens.  

A key passion of mine is motivating young people to give all sports a go, with a more focused passion on supporting young girls to engage in physical activity. I currently work at Basketball Taranaki and manage the Airs Academy for the Taranaki Steelformer Airs. Part of my role is growing this programme and making basketball opportunities accessible to as many kids different types of kids as possible. Throughout the last few months of work, I have recognised that a big gap in our programme is our gender split, where there are considerably less young girls in our programme compared to boys. 

I would love to see the growth of girls-only coaching programmes, as well as a girls only 3×3 league. I hope this leadership programme will help me develop strategies for basketball programme in our region to engage more girls. 

Sasha Nicholson

Emerging Leader – Central

I’ve always been motivated by helping young people to gain opportunities in basketball that have a positive impact in some way on their lives. The success of overcoming barriers by creating new and original initiatives is a huge motivator for me personally in my life. 

I currently work at Basketball Hawkes Bay and am involved as a referee locally and at a BBNZ National level. I want to help make a difference in the female basketball participation space not only in my community but across New Zealand too. I want to learn about creating sustainable, inviting, and engaging offerings for female basketballers of all ages and all skill levels that have the correct environment to attract females to get involved and more importantly retains their involvement through primary, intermediate, secondary school and further after that. 

I would like to oversee/be involved in initiatives in the female basketball space that are sustainable so it becomes a permanent feature. I want to help make a difference in the female basketball participation space, not only in my community but across New Zealand. 

Danielle Hanson

Emerging Leader – Central

The first time I started playing basketball wasn’t until my final years of high-school and I found that many people have already developed the skills and fundamentals by this stage. When coming out of the schooling environment, I found it difficult to get involved with the game again as I was still fairly new and trying to develop my skills. I personally feel as if there is not enough support for those transitioning from high-school to adult basketball and competitions, especially for women.  

I have developed a strong passion for the game over the years and I would love the opportunity to help influence and engage with other young women, helping to build confidence, being a friendly face and offering support for those new and returning to the game at an older age. 

I want to learn how to be a good leader. I want to be able develop my leadership skills while being able to show empathy toward others and valuing their opinions. I love encouraging others to work toward their dreams and goals, both small and big. I want to be able to see this programme grow and have a positive impact and influence around the country, especially in Palmerston North.  

Jade Fairley

Emerging Leader – North

I am passionate about Basketball – initially when I was younger it was playing, but I also enjoy reffing and when I got to my final years of high school realised how much I enjoyed coaching as well.  This was a major factor for me to enter Teacher Training at University and in the holidays I am also a Youthtown Coach as a part time job.   

As a young girl I was a student at a small rural school and felt I had to move to a larger town school to gain more coaching and opportunities within Basketball and other sports.  It was at this school that I also enjoyed the experience of a positive Maori culture and where girls were expected to achieve excellence, whether it be in sport, academics or cultural. I am a determined young Maori wahine and I think that I am a good role model. I would like to work with developing female coaches and teach them the basics of coaching girls, and teach young girls the basic skills and fundamentals to enable them to play and love basketball. 

I think what motivates me is that I love seeing smiling faces when kids discover the joy of Basketball and sport and sharing a bond with tamariki over something that I am passionate about too. I want to be able to give back to younger players and pass on the knowledge and enjoyment that I have gained from Basketball myself. 

Jazmyn McGregor

Emerging Leader – North

Over the last seven years I have invested a lot of time into my association and basketball community. Waking up early to attend trainings, hurrying from school to the stadium (on foot – rain or shine), and staying out late to help develop referees. Although it was full on at the time, it was all worth it to see the impact I was having on those around me and helping to grow the next generation in Franklin.  

At present, I’m able to participate as a player in Women’s, Open and Mixed basketball within my region. I regularly referee our local Men’s competition and help coach a South Auckland high school team when my schedule allows. 

I want to be a part of the structure and increase the accessibility of basketball and it’s opportunities for everyone. I would like to enrich my own leadership ability, particularly my confidence, self awareness and embracing challenges. I see this programme as an opportunity to voice the inequity within women’s sport and unite with other likeminded women to learn from each other’s experiences and make change within our sport.

Olivia Carey

Emerging Leader – North

I love family, sport and helping people. I love being involved in community environments where I can give back to others. I currently study a Bachelor of Communications, majoring in Marketing and minoring in Digital Business and Sport Development and Coaching.  

I was the first girl at my school to play basketball 10 years ago and from there the basketball courts became my second home. I was helping, playing, and refereeing where I could. I fell in love with the atmosphere and family environment Franklin Basketball created and the passion they have to grow the sport. I now currently playing social basketball in Hamilton and Franklin, as well as refereeing the men’s league while studying. 

I would like to learn more about the best ways to create impact and help others through sport in ways beyond coaching. I would love to see more opportunities for girls/women in basketball, whether that’s starting them off young, or even just having more leagues for females where they feel comfortable to get involved in, no matter the skill level. 

Lisia Misa

Emerging Leader – North

My biggest motivator is giving people the opportunities and experiences I wished I had when I was younger. I feel as though through basketball I can help instil some really crucial characteristics and mannerisms into the participants, that’ll help them on court, and as well as in their lives. 

I have been a part of a club that is local to Glen Innes but kids from all around that area come in. My way of giving back to the community is by volunteering at this club. I would like to volunteer/work in other places too, such as South Auckland (as this is the place I grew up) – I feel like there are a lot of talented people out there but are restricted by fees and so I want to give them that opportunity too. 

I am looking forward to growing as a person and as a coach through this programme. This programme will also give me the chance to give back to my community and the next generation of kiwi kids through something that I love to do.

Danielle Kooge

Emerging Leader – North

I am a passionate and driven leader, having helped promote women in sport at my university and also helped encourage younger women within my own association to join, acting as a role model for many of our younger female referees. 

Seeing the lack of women in officiating motivates me to push further and develop my skill sets so that younger generations are able to see that it is possible. I want to help promote the inclusion of not only wāhine within sport generally but also in officiating, as many women don’t realise their potential within officiating. I want to encourage more women to get involved with more than just one aspect of sport.  

I would like to be an ambassador for women in sport, encouraging wāhine from all walks of life to join in and give things a go, to show them that any of them can do anything they set their mind to. I would also like to help promote women in sport who are in high places and who have done an incredible job themselves, to create role models and inspirations for the younger generation, whilst also creating a sense of community for women in sport especially within officiating where they feel safe and accomplished.