The long game

Women and girls rugby in the Bay of Plenty is growing fast, but behind the progress are real challenges, and a community working hard to bridge the gaps. Karen Clarkson talks with powerhouse referee and women’s rugby advocate Tiana Ngawati-Anderson, uncovering the grassroots movement reigniting the spirit of the women’s game.

words KAREN CLARKSON photos GRAEME MURRAY hair + makeup NATALIE DAWSON

In rugby-mad Aotearoa, the Bay of Plenty is often seen as a quiet achiever. It’s a region steeped in generations of club tradition, burgeoning talent and the unmistakable buzz of communities gathering on the sidelines every weekend. But behind the booming registrations in women and girls’ rugby lies a story of fractured pathways, trailblazer community leaders, and a collective call to return to the grassroots.

At first glance, the numbers are promising. Women and girls rugby participation has grown steadily, with club-level growth for teenage girls at 39 percent and a 13 percent increase among 5-12-year-olds playing tackle. But the surface tells only part of the story. Dig deeper and the challenges quickly emerge: drop-off rates at age 14, disconnection between the secondary school and club rugby systems, and the gap between community and professional rugby widening by the season.

“Some of the most powerful change is happening at the grassroots level,” says Tiana Ngawati-Anderson, former Black Ferns Sevens player and international 22 | unomagazine.co.nz “But when I didn’t make the Auckland under-17 netball team, I thought: right, I’m going to play rugby.” Raised by a touch rugby-loving whānau, Tiana (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Whakaue) had known the oval ball her whole life, but like many young girls, netball seemed the obvious choice. “The moment I stepped onto the rugby field, it just clicked.”

That instinctive switch lit a fire that’s fuelled more than two decades at the heart of New Zealand women’s rugby. From captaining teams and representing her country, to coaching secondary schools and mentoring young referees, Tiana now has a hand in shaping the future of the game she loves.

And she’s not doing it alone. She points to local female rugby legends like Renee Wickliffe and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, who started a girls’ team at Arataki Rugby Club when no competition existed for their age group.

“So they played the boys, and won. Now they’ve got two girls’ teams and even fundraised to travel to Christchurch for a national girls' festival. That’s what leadership looks like.”

Another changemaker is Victoria Grant, former Hurricanes Poua head coach. “She found out only two Tauranga teams went to a Waikato tournament, so she created her own under-11s competition at Rotoiti, and nine teams turned up,” says Tiana. “They’re creating opportunities so their daughters can come through with real game experience, not just talent.”

Reconnecting the pathway

Back in 2018, Tiana moved to the Bay of Plenty with her husband, who joined the Black Ferns Sevens as a strength and conditioning coach. She was close to retirement, juggling training and parenting their daughter, when a gym conversation changed her direction. “Someone asked me if I would consider being a referee and I said ‘hell no’. But it planted a seed.”

By 2019, she had made the New Zealand referees squad and officiated her first Sevens nationals in Tauranga. Since then, she’s gone on to referee the Farah Palmer Cup final, be nominated for Referee of the Year, and become the second woman ever to officiate a men’s NPC match. At the same time, she was also stepping into leadership, taking on the role of general manager for high performance at Bay of Plenty Rugby Union. There, she saw firsthand how disconnected the women's pathway had become from the community.

“The academy (Athlete Development Programme), had been established to guide amateur players into a professional environment and we were trying to build depth in the Volcanix team, but we realised we had to go back to where it all starts, which is the clubs.” She leaned on her own experience coming through a strong development system in Auckland. “The truth is, “I remember thinking, we’ve got to go back to boosting and investing in community rugby. We want more girls playing rugby and staying in the game.”

The cup that counts

While teaching at Te Whare Kura o Mauao, she took the reins of the school’s rugby programme and pushed her team to compete in the open grade. “In our first year, we made the final. The girls didn’t realise how good they were. But eligibility rules blocked us from going to Nationals. So I turned to coaching the Western Bay U18 girls. That year, we won the Youth Development Cup.” That cup, she says, is the only talent identification tournament for girls’ rugby in the region. “You see the talent on the fields every weekend, you know, that one, and that one… they’re Black Ferns in the making. But then what? There’s no New Zealand U18 or U20 women’s team. The pathway just stops.” BOPRU’s newly launched U16 and U18 girls’ league, beginning this season, is a direct response to that gap. It offers girls their first true 15s competition, which is crucial for developing real game experience before reaching rep level.

Playing for the mana of the jersey

Tiana credits much of her success to early mentors like Anna Richards and Hannah Porter, who shaped the game with vision and heart. Now, alongside people like Brendon McKeown (community rugby manager), Ryan Setefano (women and girls pathway manager), and Jess Walrond (women and girls participation manager), she’s part of a movement to restore pride and purpose to the club jersey.

“Back in the day,” she reflects, “all you wanted was to wear the Bay of Plenty jersey. That was it. The battles between Eastern, Western and Central Bay – that can be our Super Rugby.”

Brendon and the BOPRU team have continued her work since she stepped back to focus on refereeing and coaching. Together, they’ve launched a five-year strategy, a new province-wide competition, and created dedicated roles to drive participation and retention.

“There’s a vision and commitment at union level to create a sustainable framework to increase participation and keep girls playing through safe, supportive transitions,” says Brendon. “We want girls to thrive through every stage of rugby. Because they need to love the game, to stay in the game. From rippa rugby to secondary schools, into club rugby and beyond. To feel that same pride of pulling on their club jersey, knowing they’re part of something bigger.”

And that honour runs deep. “I referee down in Te Paroa, Whakatāne, and that’s where I enjoy the game most,” says Tiana. “Because of the people. That’s where rugby lives. It’s not about deals or contracts or being one of the few percent that make it to the black jersey. It’s about whakapapa.”

Beyond performance Tiana sees both sides of the game – elite and grassroots – but she’s clear-eyed about where the energy needs to return. “Rugby’s in trouble right now. Too much emphasis is on Super Rugby. The potential is massive in this region – there’s so much raw talent here – but we need to come back to the hāpori (community) because that’s where the passion is.”

Her dream? A purpose-built high-performance centre for women in the Bay of Plenty. “That would be the ultimate. A home for women’s rugby. Somewhere the girls and women can thrive, not just on the field, but as leaders and changemakers, as wāhine.”

She’s also watching the future unfold close to home. “My eldest is nine now and starting to play rugby,” she says, her voice softening. “And I’m hopeful she’ll be part of a generation of women players who are thriving at every stage of their rugby journey.”

What’s emerging in the Bay of Plenty is more than a rugby revival. It’s a movement led by wāhine toa, parents, coaches, and club legends, with the support of a rugby union who now have a clear strategy to shape pathways for the next generation of female rugby players. These people believe that rugby is still, at its heart, a game of belonging. A game that teaches values, builds character and connects generations. And if these community leaders have anything to say about it, the girls coming through today won’t just play rugby, they’ll inherit the full weight and honour of what it means to represent.