John Kingi: NZMMNA Secretary on the NZ Netball Mixed Nationals 2025

Easter weekend sees the New Zealand Netball Mixed Nationals 2025, hosted in partnership with Christchurch Men's and Mixed Netball.  

45 teams will battle it out over 4 action packed days to be crowned Mixed Nationals champions.  

NZMMNA secretary John Kingi joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to preview the event featuring some of our best men and women athletes from around the country.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldegrave from News Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Eighteen minutes after eight. Now New Zealand Mixed Netpal Championships
are on or to take you christ Church and Napunu
Wife Center. That's where it is and we are now
going to our board member John Kingey to speak of
said competition. Good morning John. John is a board member

(00:32):
secretary of the n z m n A, which in
simple talk it's the New Zealand. That means in Mixed
Netball Association. Big weekend for you guys and girls because
it is mixed. This is huge four days of netbaal celebrations.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
John, that's right, I see, thanks for having me. Yep.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
We have our.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
National Mixed Nationals Tournament taking place in Auto TAKEI christ
Church from Friday yesterday. We're on day two through to Monday.
So we've got forty five teams from right across the country.
A big continger the South Island teams, which is always
great to see taking place in Crash Chut check now

(01:12):
put away crash Church Netball Center. Come on down. It's
looking to be a massive weekend of mixed netball.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Where's the power base and mixed netball here and our.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
John Yeah, look, I might course some controversy with the statement,
but Auckland has tended to speak quite strong in the
mixed netball scene. So one of our associations to Tuba
is sort of taking out that title quite a few
years in a row. Chrish Church have challenge, Wellington have challenged.
But yeah, we've got a number of teams this year

(01:44):
from right across the country, a lot of new associations
as well, So yeah, we'll wait and see where the
results land.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
What's bigger, what's got most traction mixed or means.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
Both versions of the game are growing. We've seen record
numbers so forty five teams, that's most teams we've ever
had in the national tournament. We had four one teams
at our men's Nationals which takes place every year in September.
So both versions of the game are growing, which is
great to see for.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Our sport as far as profile for men's ant ball
and worth the national team taking on the silver Ferns
quite frequently of recent years. How much is that driven participation.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
North the ongoing coverage I guess through fixtures like Constellation
Cup matches ahead of those games Silver Fern matches. That
has increased the profile of the sport in recent years,
but we've always had a strong foundation. Our sport is
an amateur sport, largely community driven. But we've just turned forty,

(02:52):
So at our September tournament, we turned forty years if
you can believe it, and we're just growing from strength
to strength. So I guess the increased coverage has certainly
I guess increased numbers, but we've been around for a
number of years.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
Your middle aged.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
Yes, absolutely absolutely, but not myself person.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
As far as you said, it's it's purely amateur. There's
no money involved. There is that the best space to
be in for means and mixed neple.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
Look, I just I think that reflects the reality at
the moment. More more broadly as well. You know, very
established elite level sports are struggling and funding and finance
realm at the moment, with obviously the economic conditions that
we're facing. We are looking to professionalize and seek further
funding so that we can I guess move more into

(03:46):
that professional space and years to come, But at the moment,
you know, it's just been the reality that we're a
grassroots sports. We're all volunteers. I'm a volunteer myself, and
that's been the history of our association. But moving forward,
you know, there are a lot of opportunities. As we've
just noted, the sport is continuing to grow. There is

(04:06):
interest in this space, and we're just looking at what
those opportunities might be to continue to grow and use
come and I expect.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
Over the forty years, the concept of vennes netball and
I know, you know, and I'm in my then fifties. Now,
when I was younger, people just look and shake their
head and go wah. But the acceptance now is probably
gone through the roof. It's now seen in something that's
cool for men to go and play. It's not an
issue anymore. And that suppose that's the advancing culture that

(04:34):
we have here in all Oh.

Speaker 3 (04:36):
Absolutely, and look you see it through the professionalization of
a number of women's leagues as well. You know, you've
got in the rugby space and the cricket space, you know,
traditionally male dominated, we now have really strong representation for
women in those spaces. The same as happening you know
in netball. I think obviously men's sport teams to generate
a bit more revenue, which means that the men's side

(04:59):
of the game, whether it be rugby, cricket or others,
is able to sort of support women to sort of
take up those opportunities as well, which is fantastic. We
totally support that and we do have a close strategic
partnership in relationship with Netball New Zealand. So we're looking
at what are those opportunities and years to come, Where
do we want to focus and how do we continue

(05:20):
to grow the sport that we love. Because we see
lots of young kids wanting to play netball, we want
to create those pathways for them to do that.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
Well. The money made by netball is all for netball,
not just what any rate. It's the same with rugby,
it's the same with rugby league. And the more we
get into that position the better. It is that everybody
hate one last thing, John King, and thanks so much
for joining us. People want to keep up to date
with the action and they can't get down to Walter Pahy.
Where can they follow it?

Speaker 3 (05:48):
Absolutely they can head onto our social media Instagram, Facebook,
zed MMNA, all through our website INZMNA, dot co, dot NZ.
Every single match will be live streamed and available online
twenty bucks to get to your pass with the whole tournament.
So if you can't come down here in chrash Church
in online and check out Mixing Netball.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
John King, thanks very much for your time, look after yourself,
go well and enjoy what will be a hectic weekend.
Make sure you stop pile your eggs because I'm sure
come Monday night you're going to go hard.

Speaker 3 (06:21):
I've got a few, says Sory.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Thanks Sasi killed, Thank you, John, New Zeland Mixed Netball
Championships on Puna and christ Church. John's on the board
there of the Get it Right John Kingy's on the
board of the in Z m m A not m

(06:42):
a M, the New Zealand Men's and Mixed Netball Association.
There you go. Something someone's stuck on my mind.

Speaker 1 (06:53):
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