Maria Tutaia

Photo credit: New Idea

Personal Life:

Solonaima Maria Tutaia (born February 18th, 1987 in Tokoroa, New Zealand) is a Netball player for the New Zealand Silver Ferns national team and also the ANZ Championship domestic team, Northern Mystics based in Auckland. Tutaia plays both goal attack and goal shooter positions.

Tutaia is also known for her tattoo with her parents names just inside her shooting [right] arm. On television, she explained the inspiration behind it as the place “where the power of her shots came from“.

She has been a CanTeen ambassador since 2008, which supports young people living with cancer in New Zealand.

Professional Career:

Tutaia started her netball career playing for the New Zealand U21 team in 2004 and went on to win the World Youth Championships the following year in 2005. She also played domestically for the Auckland Diamonds during the National Bank Cup from 2005-2007, before the competitions name change to the ANZ Championship in 2008. With the start of the new ANZ Championship competition, she began her season with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic for two years before returning back to Auckland in 2010 under the teams new name, the Northern Mystics, which represents both the Northland and Auckland regions.

Tutaia made her international debut for the Silver Ferns in late 2005, when she was selected to represent New Zealand during their tour of Jamaica. In 2006, she was part of the Silver Ferns team that won gold at the Melbourne Netball Commonwealth Games. She is prominently known for her long range shots and making crucial goals, especially during matches that can often flip either way for competing teams right up to the last second, where she has had her share of being victorious from them.

Highlights & Awards:

• Won Gold at the 2006 Melbourne Netball Commonwealth Games
• Won Silver at the 2007 Auckland Netball World Championships
• Won Gold at the 2009 Manchester World Netball Series
• Won Gold at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games
• Won Silver at the 2011 Liverpool World Netball Series

Source – Northern Mystics, Netball Australia/NZ

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