The Silver Ferns have unveiled their dress for this year's Netball World Cup in South Africa, with the uniform representing the connection of the team's past, present and future through Māori designs.
The dress, named Manawarau, was revealed this afternoon with coach Dame Noeline Taurua stating it had features that will help strengthen the identity of the team for their upcoming campaign.
The name draws from two concepts - "manawa" which represents the heartbeats of Silver Ferns players of the past, present and future, beating in unison and "rau" which highlights those who not only have worn the dress, but those who back every player.
"We are not the same team as 2019, we are different and we need to be prepared to carry ourselves in our own space in our own unique way. Manawarau has helped us to do that," Taurua said.
"Over time we have evolved and for this team, they will have the honour of unveiling and wearing the dress. They will leave something of themselves for the next generation.
"Manawarau is the pou – the pillar of guidance and steadfast strength. It’s so uplifting."
The team worked with respected Te Tairāwhiti [East Coast] tā moko artists Maia Gibbs and Henare Brooking for the design, with both also having connections to New Zealand netball.
Brooking, who connects to Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Tūwharetoa, is the nephew of Netball New Zealand President Tina Karaitiana while Gibbs [Ngāti Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Kahungunu] is the son of Leigh Gibbs - one of the most versatile and successful player in Silver Ferns history.
Gibbs said he and Henare were humbled the team came to them, but emphasised they would do more than just a drawing on a dress with their work.
"We are tā moko, we move in a Māori space where everything has meaning, everything is inclusive," Gibbs said.
"We didn’t just want it to be a design. It needed to be grounded.
"That’s what’s really special to us. From when we had the first korero [conversation] with the team last year, to coming back and hearing their thoughts on what we had delivered, has been really amazing.
"We’ve learned how they’ve added their own whakaaro [understanding] to what we had given them and seen how it has been reflected as an entirety."
Around the skirt of the dress runs the tāniko weaving pattern Aramoana which represents the pathway to the sea, symbolising the players’ wider connections, to family, culture and nature.
The sharp angles of the Niho Taniwha pattern reflect the style of Netball played in New Zealand - agile, dynamic and explosive.
There's also a continuous red thread that runs through the design, signifying "a human rope".
"In a literal sense, we turned our minds back to when we were kids watching the Silver Ferns play - that moment when they all stand together for the national anthem," said Gibbs.
"In a metaphorical sense, it’s a line of whakapapa that ties them together – the opportunity they have to play together – facing the now while acknowledging the past."
Also on the spine are five small Patiki [diamond-shaped designs symbolising “the womb, and the power and strength of women”] where each one represents the five World Cups New Zealand has won.
Finally, a figure that may not be spotted immediately is a small, stylised lizard which Brooking said represents Māori mythological hero Māui.
"The greatest shapeshifter of all - it’s about being able to adapt, problem solve and be elusive under pressure," Brooking added.
"That’s the narrative for the team – when they are in pressure situations, they have a solution to overcome any challenges in front of them."
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