Lisa Wallbutton

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 183cm 
Born: January 14, 1986
Junior Association: North Harbour
High School: Westlake Girls High School

Previous NBL Clubs: Harbour Breeze (2002-05), Auckland (2006)

The current Tall Ferns Manager had a distinguished playing career in the black singlet being one of just a handful of players to play over 100 games for the senior national team.

She was a key player at the 2008 Olympics averaging 10 points and 5 rebounds per game. Two years earlier she had played on the silver medal winning team at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

She played for the Christchurch Sirens in their only season in the Australian WNBL in 2008. Wallbutton then played a season in Belgium before enjoying a further six seasons in the WNBL with Adelaide, Bendigo and Perth.

Zoe Richards

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 185cm 
Born: October 4, 1997
Junior Association: Otago
High School: St Hilda’s Collegiate, Dunedin

Previous NBL Clubs: Otago Gold Rush (2014 and 2018-20)

Debuted for the Tall Ferns on the team that finished runners-up at the 2019 William Jones Cup.

Following high school Richards spent a season (2016-17) at Gillette College playing alongside twin sister Brittany. She then played three seasons at Eckerd College helping the Tritons win the Sunshine State Conference title in 2020 – her senior year.

Played all 91 games for the Tritons in her three years on the team amassing 982 points and 430 rebounds.

She averaged 16.4 points and 6.8 rebounds for Otago Goldrush in the 2019 WBC .

Played for the Gold Rush team that won the 2018 WBC title.

Played in the Tall Ferns Showcase Game in August.

Tara Clement

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 170cm
Born: February 22, 1999
Junior Association: Taranaki
High School: Opunake High School

Previous NBL Clubs: Taranaki Thunder (2016-19)

Played on the Opunake High School team that won the 2016 ‘A’ Secondary Schools National Championship – named MVP at that Tournament.

Played for the Taranaki Thunder team that finished runners-up to Canterbury Wildcats in the WBC 2017 Grand Final.

Graduated from Otago University in 2020 with a Health Science Degree.

Currently working as a Teacher Aid at Bayfield High School in Dunedin.

Fayreen Fualau

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 183cm
Born: February 16, 1998
Junior Association: Canterbury
High School: Linwood College

A graduate of Canterbury University now studying Dentistry at Otago University.

Plays for South Pacific Magic in the Dunedin club competition.

Hayley Gray

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 171cm
Born: September 1, 1989
Junior Association: North Canterbury
High School: Rangiora High School

Previous NBL Clubs: Canterbury Wildcats, North Canterbury

Gray has played 15 seasons in the WBC/NBL 13 of those for Canterbury Wildcats. Captained the Wildcats to the Women’s Basketball Championship (WBC) titles in 2016 and 2017.

The former Junior Tall Fern played for North Canterbury in the WBC Division 2 in 2019.

Savanna Handevidt

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 185cm
Born: August 24, 1994
Junior Association: N/A
High School: Stillwater High School, Minnesota

Previous NBL Clubs: Rookie

The Minnesota native played three years at Minnesota State University Moorhead (NCAA Divisin II) making 83 appearances for the Dragons – all 83 as a starter.

Handevidt was named to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference All-Academic Team in each of her three years at Minnesota State.

Bronwyn Kjestrup

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 180cm
Born: July 8, 1996
Junior Association: North Harbour
High School: Westlake Girls High School

Previous NBL Clubs: Harbour Breeze, Otago Gold Rush

Played for New Zealand U18 in 2013

Played for the Gold Rush team that won the 2018 WBC titles in both 2015 and 2018.

Graduated from the Otago University Medical School in 2019.

Hannah Matehaere

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 180cm
Born: September 7, 2002
Junior Association: Otago
High School: Otago Girls High School

Previous NBL Clubs: Otago Gold Rush

Debuted for the Gold Rush in 2018.

Played for the New Zealand silver medal winning team at the 2019 FIBA U17 Oceania Championships in New Caledonia.

Matehaere is a Head Prefect at Otago Girls High School.

Father Brent was Head Coach of 2020 Sal’s NBL champions Otago Nuggets.

Olivia O’Neill

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 175cm
Born: September 10, 2000
Junior Association: Otago
High School: St Hilda’s Collegiate

Previous NBL Clubs: Otago Gold Rush

O’Neill played for the 2018 WBC winning Gold Rush team.

Played for the New Zealand silver medal winning team at the 2017 FIBA U17 Oceania Championships in Guam.

Played for the New Zealand at the 2018 FIBA U1 Asia Championships in Bangalore, India.

Millicent Simpson

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 171cm 
Born: November 22, 2000
Junior Association: North Harbour
High School: Carmel College

Previous NBL Clubs: Rookie

Studying at Otago University.

Te Araroa Sopoaga

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 180cm
Born: April 1, 2002
Junior Association: Hutt Valley
High School: St Mary’s College, Wellington/Queen Margaret College, Wellington

Previous NBL Clubs: Rookie

Played for the 2018 Junior Tall Ferns but then switched allegiance representing the Cook Islands Senior team at the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia. Averaged 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds at the Pacific Games. 

Sopoaga was a member of the  St Mary’s College Secondary Schools National Championship winning team in 2017.

Plays for South Pacific Magic in the Dunedin club competition.

Georgia Te Au

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 163cm
Born: July 12, 1996
Junior Association: Otago
High School: Otago Girls High School

Previous NBL Clubs: Otago Gold Rush

Plays for South Pacific Magic in the Dunedin club competition.

Debuted for the Gold Rush in 2017.

Kelly Thompson

Club: Otago Gold Rush
Height: 175cm 
Born: September 8, 1998
Junior Association: Southland
High School: Southland Girls High School

Previous NBL Clubs: Otago Gold Rush

Played for the NZ U18 Team in 2014.

Thompson was a member of the Gold Rush squad that won the 2018 WBC title.