A stalwart across New Zealand’s largest and smallest women’s participation sports, Shirley Hooper has been acknowledged as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the 2026 New Year’s Honours.  

Bay of Plenty’s Hooper has been honoured for services to netball, New Zealand’s largest female participation sport, and artistic swimming, the smallest women’s participation sport, holding multiple roles in both codes over many years, ranging from club to international influence.

Her contribution to netball has spanned over 50 years, and includes wide-ranging involvement as a player, umpire, sponsor, broadcaster, board member and Chairperson.

Since 2007, Hooper has held key leadership roles including Chair of Netball Auckland-Waitakere, Greater Auckland Netball (owner of the Northern Mystics), and Trans-Tasman Netball Ltd, which oversaw the ANZ Championship.

From 2009 to 2018, she was a Director on the Netball New Zealand Board, chairing the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee from 2016. She has been a Director of World Netball since 2017, serving as Chair of the Commercial Committee and a member of the Foundation Strategy Group.

In 2021, Hooper was elected Vice-President of World Netball, placing her at the forefront of global efforts to grow the sport across 75 countries and more than 20 million participants.

In July, Hooper was re-elected as Vice President of World Netball following its Congress 2025 meeting. Having completed her first term of four years, Hooper was re-elected for a second four-year term after being given the seal of approval from voting delegates.

Hooper has long been a prominent figure in international netball administration and her re-election is a testament to her dedication, strategic vision and ongoing contributions to the growth of netball worldwide.

Under Hooper’s leadership, World Netball has expanded its global reach, supported the rise of emerging netball nations and strengthened its commitment to equality, youth engagement and sustainable development in sport.

Her reappointment reinforces World Netball’s stability at a time when the sport is reaching new audiences and gaining traction in untapped regions.

Alongside netball, Hooper has been heavily involved in artistic swimming, the smallest women’s participation sport in New Zealand. She was Chair of the Tauranga Synchro Club until 2011, when she took over as Chair of Artistic Swimming New Zealand until 2023. She has championed the sport’s growth, inclusivity and visibility, her leadership being instrumental in lifting professional standards in the sport.

Hooper was made a Life Member of both Netball New Zealand and Artistic Swimming New Zealand in 2022.