3 October 2022
A lifelong love of netball has seen our Trust Chair Ann Tod receive one of the highest recognitions a New Zealander can attain.
Ann has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for her work in governance and finance in international netball, and active support of the sport at grassroots level.
Ann has been a passionate and positive influence on our board for five years and we’re incredibly lucky to have her. She shows a genuine care and interest for others, and her MNZM is a reflection of that.
Ann was nominated for the Queen’s Birthday Honour by Netball New Zealand and says the recognition came as a “complete surprise”. “But the excitement I’ve felt from the netball community and others has helped me realise that I just need to enjoy the moment.”
Ann sits on the World Netball Board as its Finance Director and, with a 40-year auditing career behind her with KPMG, one of her audit partners was Netball New Zealand. Locally, she’s a well-known face at the Netball North Harbour courts, having umpired school to premier-grade netball for more than 20 years.
Ann admits that umpiring comes with a little stick from the sidelines. “But it doesn’t faze me, I’m always happy to talk to people. The funniest challenge I had came from a dad from a Year six team where the first words he said were ‘look, I don’t know all the rules but…’ Fortunately, I know the rules.”
Ann’s MNZM also takes into account her other community work. She is involved in no less than six boards including Harbour Hospice, Make A Wish, the JR McKenzie Trust, The Lister Presbyterian Health Trust, Te Tuhi Contemporary Arts Trust and Rotary New Zealand.
Congratulations Ann!
