Azure Anderson (#27)

Position: Forward

Height: 175cm

Born: July 30, 1997 in Hamilton

Junior Association: Waikato

High School: Hamilton Girls HS

Previous NBL clubs – Waikato Wizards (2015), Harbour Breeze (2021), Northern Kāhu (2023-present)

Played 9 games for the Kāhu in 2024 averaging 2.9 points and 1.2 rebounds per game – scored a season high 10 points against Tauranga Whai.

Led Harbour Breeze to the inaugural Tupu League title in June 2024 – averaged 14.4 points per game and named to the Tournament All-Star Five.

Playing alongside Chevannah Paalvast was a member of the 3×3 Tall Ferns team that defeated Australia to win the inaugural Trans-Tasman Cup in Invercargill in 2023.

Named to the Tournament Team at the 2022 Tertiary National Championships – scored 28 points in AUT’s Grand Final win against Victoria University.

Won the 2012 National Secondary Schools title with Hamilton Girls HS. 

Attended Hamilton Girls High for 2 years and was also home schooled for a year and a half in France. 

After high school returned to France for 4 years and played for Perpignan Le Soler Métropole (2016-2018). Then played for Cugnaux for a season and a half (2018-2020). 

 Father Vinnie Anderson is a former Kiwi Rugby League international and brother Zion played for Tauranga Whai in the 2024 Sal’s NBL.

Stephanie Bairstow (#7)

Position: Forward

Height: 188cm

Born: October 10, 1994 in Brisbane

Junior Club: Brisbane Spartans

High School: Mansfield State High School

Previous Tauihi clubs – Rookie

Bairstow has nine years’ experience playing in the Australian State Leagues and NBL1.

In 2024 averaged 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds playing for Southern District Spartans (alongside Kalani Purcell) in NBL1 North.

Has also played in the Australian WNBL for Canberra Capitals (2016-17) and Sydney Flames (2022-23).

Following high school, and a year at the Australian Institute of Sport, Bairstow had a three year NCAA Division I career at Utah State University where she played 67 games for the Aggies. 

Older brother Cameron played in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls while younger brothers Sean (Breakers) and Jarred (Brisbane Bullets) are current Australian NBL players.

Penina Davidson (#12)

Position: Forward/Centre

Height: 191cm

Born: 9 February, 1995

Junior Association: Waitakere 

High School: Rangitoto College

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns – debuted 2013 v Australia

Previous NBL clubs – Harbour Breeze (2012-13 and 2019), Northern Kāhu (2023-present)

Played 11 games for the championship winning Kāhu in 2023 posting six double-doubles. Averaged 15.3 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, scoring a season high 25 points against Tauranga Whai.

Played for Keilor Thunder in 2024 NBL1 South and averaged 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Posted a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds in the Grand Final loss to  Waverley Falcons.

Began her professional career playing for Adelaide Lightning in the Australian WNBL in 2018/19. Subsequently played five seasons for Melbourne Boomers winning a championship in 2022.  Played 117 WNBL games in total.

Averaged 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Boomers in the 2023-24 season. 

Davidson completed her four year scholarship at the University of California, Berkeley in 2018. She played a total of 130 games for the Golden Bears averaging 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Started all 64 games for the Bears in her final two years.

Named to the All-Star 5 at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup in Sydney in July where New Zealand finished fourth and qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year. Averaged a near double-double of 13.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game – she was the second leading rebounder at the tournament and sixth highest scorer.

Has made 62 appearances for the Tall Ferns most recently at the FIBA World Cup Pre Qualifiers in Mexico – averaged 10 points and 3.5 rebounds across the two games she played.

Bailey Flavell (#3)

Bailey Flavell

Position: Guard

Height: 178cm

Born: February 15, 2007

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Takapuna Grammar School – Year 13

Highest Representative Honour – 2024 New Zealand Tall Ferns 

Previous NBL clubs – Northern Kāhu (2023-present).

Played three games for the Kāhu in the 2023 Tauihi season. Her only points (3) were scored against Tauranga Whai.

Following impressive performances at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Mexico Flavell finished the tournament as the third highest scorer overall averaging 18.9ppg. She scored in double figures in six of New Zealand’s seven games with a top score of 25 points against hosts Mexico. In addition averaged 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

Flavell returned to Mexico in August with the Tall Ferns for the 2024 FIBA Women’s World Cup Pre-Qualifier tournament. Debuted against Montenegro and scored with her first shot – a three – in senior international basketball. In her second appearance scored 8 points against Mozambique.

Flavell was named Tournament MVP as Harbour Breeze won the inaugural Tupu League in 2024. Scored 27 points in the 95-89 Grand Final victory over the hosts Tauranga City Coasters.

Playing for North Harbour Flavell was named to the All-Star Five after leading the scoring at the 2024 Women’s U20 National Championship Tournament in Rangiora – averaged 25.3ppg.

An attendee at the prestigous Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp in Perth in September 2024.

Led the New Zealand scoring averaging 14.8ppg at the 2023 FIBA U16 Asia Cup in Jordan – New Zealand claimed a bronze medal finish. 

Named to the Tournament Team at the 2023 U19 National Championships where she averaged 22.2 points per game for North Harbour. 

Father Judd Flavell is a former Tall Black.

Chloe Forster (#11)

Position: Combo Guard

Height: 176cm

Born: May 7, 2003 in Western Australia

Junior Club: Warwick Senators

High School: 

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Named to the 2024 NBL1 West First Team playing for Warwick Senators – averaged 20 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6 assists. Scored 20 points or more in 13 of 20 games.

In 2022 won both the NBL1 West Championship and NBL1 National Championship with the Warwick Senators – the club she grew up playing for in WA.

Played in the Australian WNBL for Perth Lynx in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons – Perth were the beaten finalists in 2023-24.

Mary Goulding (#56)

Position: Forward

Height: 183cm

Born: 24 August, 1996

Junior Association: Canterbury

High School: Rangiora High School

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns (debut 2019)

Previous NBL clubs – Mainland Pouākai (2022)

Goulding will play her first competitive basketball in New Zealand since recovering from the well-publicised life threatening car accident that she was involved in in 2023. Prior to that she had her 2022 season with Mainland Pouākai cut short after incurring an Achilles injury.

Most recently played for East Perth Eagles in 2024 NBL1 West. Her first game for the Eagles was in late March 2024 – 703 days after sustaining her Achilles injury.

Averaged 7.7 points and 6.3 rebounds for Pouākai in 2022 – had season highs in points (16) and rebounds (10) against Hoiho.

Has played 12 games for the Tall Ferns since debuting at the 2019 William Jones Cup. Played all 5 games at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup averaging 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She was the team’s most efficient shooter making 65% (17/26) from the field, 40% (4/10) 3-pointers and 100% (5/5) from the free-throw line.

Following high school Goulding spent a year at Gillette College in Wyoming before being recruited by Fordham University.

In her senior year at Fordham in 2018-19 she earned First Team All-Conference honours. Most Outstanding Player accolade at the Atlantic 10 Championship and was also named to the A-10 All-Academic team. Goulding led the Rams to the programme’s second-ever Atlantic 10 Championship.

Following college she played for IK Eos in the Swedish League (2019-20) and Bendigo Spirit (2020-22) in the Australian WNBL.

Krystal Leger-Walker (#6)

Position: Guard

Height: 175cm

Born: September 29, 1997

Junior Association: Waikato

High School: St Peter’s School, Cambridge

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns (debuted 2014)

Previous NBL clubs – Waikato Wizards (2014-16, 2019 and 2021), Northern Kāhu (2022-present)

Has made the most appearances for the Kahu playing in 27 of the club’s 28 games.

Across the two seasons she has averaged 9.2pts, 4.3rebs, 5.2 assists and 2.2 steals.

She is the Tauihi Aotearoa all-time assists leader with 141 dimes.

Scored a career high 19 points against Tokomawana Queens in 2023.

Played for the Townsville Fire’s 2023 Australian WNBL championship winning team.

Following an outstanding junior career with Waikato and St Peter’s School Leger-Walker headed to Northern Colorado University.

She went on to play 88 games in three seasons at Northern Colorado (2016-2019), helping guide the Bears to the Big Sky Tournament Conference title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018.

Then transferred to Washington State University to link up with sister Charlisse. Received All-Pac 12 Honourable mention in both seasons. 

Holds the record for most starts (139) in a collegiate career by a Kiwi – male or female. Finished her career with 142 appearances, 1,032 points and 621 assists. 

Krystal first played for the Tall Ferns as a 16 year-old back in 2014. 

Played all 6 games at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup in Sydney where New Zealand finished fourth and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. 

Mother Leanne, the Kāhu assistant coach, attended the 1990 and 1994 Olympics with the Tall Ferns and sister Charlisse is also a Tall Fern.

Tannika Leger-Walker (#1)

Position: Guard

Height: 180cm

Born: 21 August, 2006

Junior Association: Waikato

High School: St Peter’s School, Cambridge

Highest Representative Honour – Junior Tall Ferns (2024)

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

A Year 13 student at St Peter’s School, Cambridge.

Has already played at five FIBA age group tournaments.

2024 FIBA U18 Asia Cup in China – second in scoring (8.8ppg) and led the assists count (2.8apg) for the NZ team.

2024 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup in Hungary.

2023 FIBA U17 Oceania Championship in PNG – averaged 8.2 points per game.

2022 FIBA U17 World Cup in Hungary.

2022 FIBA U16 Asia Cup in Jordan.

Mother Leanne and sisters Krystal and Charlisse have played for the Tall Ferns.

Will play in Tauihi ’24 as an amateur to preserve her American collegiate eligibility.

Megan Mullings (#5)

Position: Forward

Height: 185cm

Born: 22 November, 1992 in Glendale, Arizona

High School: Cactus High School, Arizona.

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Prior to joining the Kāhu Mullings played the 2024 NBL1 North season for Brisbane Capitals  – averaged 14.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

The American forward is familiar with this part of the world having also played in NBL1 with Sunshine Coast, Ringwood Hawks and Nunawading Spectres.

In addition she has played in Rumania, Luxembourg, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic and Finland where she won a Finnish League title with Kotca Peli-Karhut.

Played 4 years of American collegiate basketball, her final two years at the University of Alaska at Anchorage. In her senior year (2015-16) she led the team in scoring (15.9ppg), rebounding (6.3rpg) and blocks (1.6bpg) as the Seawolves went all the way to the NCAA Division II National Championship Game.

Chevannah Paalvast (#20)

Position: Guard

Height: 180cm

Born: 4 September, 1991

Junior Association: Waitakere West

High School: Massey High School

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns, debuted 2015 v Chinese Taipei 

Previous NBL clubs – Waitakere Rangers (2014)

Paalvast played the 2024 NBL1 North season with Logan Thunder, her 5th year with the club – averaged 15.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Her teammates were Ash Taia (Queens), Jade Kirisome and Mikhaela Cann (both Tauranga Whai).

In 2021 won the inaugural NBL1 North championship with the Thunder.

Playing alongside Kāhu teammate Azure Anderson, was a member of the 3×3 Tall Ferns team that defeated Australia to win the inaugural Trans-Tasman Cup in Invercargill in 2023.

Has made a total of 60 appearances for the Tall Ferns. Paalvast played her 50th international in the game against Japan at the 2021 Asia Cup – the 18th player to play fifty tests for New Zealand. 

She was a member of the 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medal winning team averaging 6.3 points per game.

Was part of the 2018 Tall Ferns 3×3 Gold medal winning team at the FIBA Asia Cup in China.

Paalvast spent 5 years at Monmouth University, New Jersey graduating in 2014. In her senior year she averaged 13.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Scored 1,006 career points in 121 appearances for the Hawks.

Won an Australian WNBL championship at Townsville Fire in 2016 and also played in the WNBL for Canberra Capitals and Bendigo Spirit playing – made a total of 68 appearances over 4 years in the WNBL.

Amy Pateman (#10)

Position: Guard

Height: 172cm

Born: 14 April, 2006

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Westlake Girls High School – Year 13

Highest Representative Honour – 2023 New Zealand U17’s 

Previous Tauihi clubs – Rookie

A year 13 student at Westlake Girls High School Amy has played on the school’s National Championship winning teams in both 2022 and 2023.

Played on the New Zealand team at both the 2022 FIBA Asian Championship and the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup in Hungary.

Named to the All-Star Team at the NBA Basketball Without Borders Camp in Dubai May 2023 Amy was then selected, along with four other Kiwi women, to attend the Women’s NBA Academy Games in Atlanta in July that year.

Pateman will play as an amateur having obtained an NCAA Division I scholarship at the University of San Francisco beginning in 2025.

Has missed most of 2024 recovering from an ACL injury.

Lily Rotunno (#2)

Position: Combo Guard

Height: 158cm

Born: 26 February, 2004 on Gold Coast, Australia

Junior Club: Gold Coast Rollers

High School: Hillcrest Christian College

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

The combo-guard most recently played alongside Penina Davidson at Keilor Thunder, the NBL1 South Grand Finalists. Appeared in all 25 games averaging 6.9 points and 3 assists per game.

Rotunno has played 4 seasons in NBL1 having also played for Red City Roar and Gold Coast Rollers.

In addition has played two seasons in the Australian WNBL. In 2022-23 played 4 games for Sydney Flames and in 2023-24 made 10 appearances for Melbourne Boomers (again alongside Davidson).

Played on the Australian Gold Medal winning team at the 2022 FIBA U18 Women’s Asian Championship in India.

Mum Bec is a former Victorian representative basketball player.

IImar’I Thomas (#23)

Position: Forward

Height: 178cm

Born: 23 October, 2000 in California

High School: Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, Oakland, California

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played all 14 games for the Kāhu in 2024 – Named to the Tauihi Aotearoa All-Star Five after averaging a league high 26.5 points per game. Scored 30 points or more on 4 occasions with a season high 34 points against Tokomanawa Queens.

Thomas has played for Torpan Pojat (ToPo) Helsinki during the last two European seasons. Runners-up in the Finish League in 2022-23, ToPo were crowned champions in2023-24.

Thomas was named Finnish League MVP after she averaged a League best 26.ppg. 

Scored a season best 42 points and exceeded 30 points on 10 occasions in 34 appearances.

Played 154 NCAA Division 1 games – 4 years at the University of Cincinnati and an additional year at UCLA. 

Averaged 15.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the Bruins (2021-22).

In the Pac-12 in 2021-22 Thomas was 1st in offensive rebounds (2.8pg), 3rd in field goal percentage (55.4%) and 5th in minutes played (33.5).

Named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in her final year at Cincinnati (2020-21). She finished at Cincinnati as the only player in school history to achieve more than 1,900 career points and 800 career rebounds.

She is the only women’s player and just the second in the University of Cincinnati history, besides the legendary Oscar Robertson (who completed the feat six times), to score 50 or more points in a game. She scored 51 points against East Carolina University in February 2021.

Fluent in American Sign Language. 

Elianna Tuaiti (#30)

Position: Guard

Height: 173cm

Born: 15 May, 2000

High School: Auckland Girls Grammar School

Highest Representative Honour – Cook Islands National Team (debut 2022)

Previous NBL clubs – Northern Kāhu (2023-present)

Played 9 games for the Kāhu in 2023. Her best performance was against Tokomanawa Queens when she tallied 3 points, 4 assists, 3 steals and a block.

A regular in the Kāhu Rapid League team 

Played for Waikato Wizards in the inaugural Tupu League in 2024 – averaged 11.8ppg.

A member of the Cook Islands national team that claimed gold at the 2022 FIBA Polynesian Basketball Cup played in Kaitaia.

A key member of the Auckland Dream team that won the 2022 Women’s D League Tournament.

Tahlia Tupaea (#4)

Position: Guard

Height: 170cm

Born: 1 June, 1997

High School: Westfield Sports High School/St Mary’s Senior High School, Sydney

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns (debut 2023)

Previous NBL clubs – Northern Kāhu (2022-present)

Tupaea averaged 18.2 points (4th overall), 4.3 assists (3rd overall) and 2.8 steals (1st overall) in 2022 – named MVP of the inaugural Tauihi Aotearoa. Limited to just 3 games in 2023 due to a shoulder injury.

Played for Penrith Panthers, her junior club, in the 2023 NBL1 season – led the Panthers in scoring (24.8ppg) and assists (3.3apg).

Penrith born, with Tainui-Ngāti Tipa descent, Tupaea was the 36th pick by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2017 WNBA draft.

Played 5 games at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup in Sydney in July where New Zealand finished fourth and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Averaged 7.8ppg – scored 20 points against Lebanon.

She became the second youngest debutant in the history of the Australian Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) when she took the court for the Sydney University Flames in 2012 at 15 years and 133 days. Two years later she was a key member of the Flames WNBL championship winning team.

Has played 140 WNBL games, most recently for 2022 semi-finalists Canberra Capitals where she averaged 6.9ppg – shot the 3-ball at 40.5%.

Kodee Williams-Sefo (#0)

Position: Guard

Height: 189cm

Born: 1 February, 2007

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Westlake Girls High School – Year 13

Highest Representative Honour – 2024 New Zealand U17 National Team 

Previous Tauihi clubs – Rookie

A year 13 at Westlake Girls High School and played on the school’s Secondary Schools National Championship winning team in 2023 – named to the Tournament Team.

Played on the New Zealand team at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Mexico. She was New Zealand’s leading rebounder averaging 7.6 boards per game. Scored 13 points against Mexico and her 60% (6 from 10) made threes placed her first at the tournament amongst players that took ten shots or more.

An attendee at the prestigous Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp in Perth in September 2024.

Williams-Sefo will play as an amateur to preserve her American college eligibility.