Experienced sports and major events leader Jennah Wootten has been put in charge of the country's largest women's code, with Netball New Zealand naming her as its new chief executive.
Wootten will take up the role on August 12, taking over from interim chief executive Jane Patterson, who did not apply for the permanent job.
Wootten has been serving as chief executive of Aktive - Auckland Sport and Recreation Charitable Trust since 2021.
She brings experience across some of New Zealand's most significant sporting events, including as chief executive of the World Masters Games 2017 featuring 28,000 participants.
She has also served as a director of cricket in 2021 for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup and played a leading role in delivering the Rugby World Cup 2011 programme in Auckland.
Wootten, who received the prestigious Sport NZ CK Doig Leadership Award in 2024 for outstanding leadership across New Zealand's sport and recreation sector, said she felt "extremely privileged" to be taking up the role.
"Netball New Zealand is an organisation with an extraordinary community behind it and the Silver Ferns are one of our most beloved sporting teams.
"My career has been built on bringing people together around ambitious shared goals. I am coming into this role with enormous respect for the netball community and a real desire to keep building this sport. I look forward to connecting with the community and our partners, and working hard to deliver the future this sport deserves."
Patterson has led the organisation through a period of change since the beginning of the year and Wootten will face plenty of challenges when she takes over.
Last year the organisation struggled to secure a broadcast deal for the ANZ Premiership, the sport's domestic showpiece. NNZ is still working through what the future of the competition from 2027 will look like.
The financial health of the ANZ Premiership has declined significantly since the league's inaugural season in 2017.
The biggest financial blow came when Sky TV's broadcast rights offer was drastically less than it had been in the past.
Netball faces a lot more competition from cashed-up codes like rugby and cricket, which are putting new levels of investment into the female side of their game.
In September last year, one of the most damaging periods for the sport was set in motion when Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua was suspended due to concerns raised from players about the high-performance environment.
Taurua was eventually reinstated, but calls for "heads to roll" at Netball NZ came from many quarters.
Patterson was hired as interim boss following Jennie Wyllie's decision to step down as CEO in December 2025.
Alastair Carruthers, who was recently appointed the new board chair of NNZ, said a high calibre of candidates applied for the role.
"Jennah is an exceptional appointment and we are thrilled to have her bringing her considerable talent and skills to Netball New Zealand.
"She has a track record of delivering at the highest level of New Zealand sport, of building commercial and community partnerships, and of leading teams with clarity. We look forward to her leading the organisation into its next chapter."
Wootten was also an independent director of Perpetual Guardian Holdings and Perpetual Trust, and deputy chair of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, where Carruthers was also a board director.
This story was first published on rnz.co.nz |  |
