Grace Nweke is a New Zealand netball international. She first competed for

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in September 2021, becoming the fourth person of African descent to play for the team, following in the footsteps of

Irene Van Dyk Irene van Dyk (née Viljoen; born 21 June 1972) is a South African-born New Zealand netball player. A goal-shooter, van Dyk is one of the world's best-known netballers and is the most capped international player of all time: in every game she ...

Leana de Bruin Leana de Bruin (née du Plooy) (born 9 July 1977) is a South African and New Zealand international netball player. De Bruin played 34 tests for South Africa before moving to New Zealand in 2000. She made her on-court debut for the Silver Ferns i ...

and

Karin Burger Karin Burger (born 12 April 1993) is a New Zealand netball international. She was a member of the New Zealand teams that won the 2019 Netball World Cup and the 2021 Constellation Cup. Burger has also played for both Central Pulse and Mainland T ...

, all born in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

Early life

Grace Nweke was born in Auckland on 7 February 2002, to parents who emigrated to New Zealand from

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. She has a twin brother and four other siblings. Her parents initially left Nigeria to go to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, before settling in Auckland in the 1990s. She attended ACG Sunderland from years 9 to 10 then transferred to Avondale College. At

Avondale College Avondale College is a state coeducational secondary school located in the central Auckland, New Zealand, suburb of Avondale. With a roll of students from Years 9–13 (ages 12–18), it is the third largest secondary school in New Zealand. ...

she competed in high jump events as well as netball. Nweke is studying for a Bachelor of Commerce degree in information systems and marketing at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

Playing career

Northern Mystics

Nweke joined the

Northern Mystics Northern Mystics are a New Zealand netball team based in Auckland. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017 they have represented Netball Northern in the ANZ Premiership. Netball Northern is the governing body t ...

for the

2019 ANZ Premiership season The 2019 ANZ Premiership season was the third season of Netball New Zealand's ANZ Premiership. With a team coached by Yvette McCausland-Durie, captained by Katrina Grant and featuring Karin Burger, Aliyah Dunn, Ameliaranne Ekenasio and Sulu Fit ...

, while she was still at school. Initially recruited to be a training partner she was rapidly promoted to being a full-time member of the Mystics squad. In 2021 she set a new

ANZ Premiership The ANZ Premiership is the top level netball league featuring teams from New Zealand. In 2017 it replaced the ANZ Championship, which also included teams from Australia, as the top level netball league in New Zealand. It is organised by Netball ...

scoring record, scoring 852 goals from 951 attempts and scoring 50 or more goals in 12 of the Mystics' 16 games. Her performances inevitably brought her to the attention of the national selectors, who selected her initially for the Under-21 side and then for the full 2021-22

squad. Nweke missed four matches of the

2022 ANZ Premiership season The 2022 ANZ Premiership season was the sixth season of Netball New Zealand's ANZ Premiership. With a team coached by Yvette McCausland-Durie, co-captained by Kelly Jury and Tiana Metuarau and featuring Aliyah Dunn, Erikana Pedersen and Whitn ...

due to an ankle injury; she was cleared to play the Grand Final but the

were defeated by the

Northern Stars Northern Stars are a New Zealand netball team based in South Auckland. Since 2017 they have competed in the ANZ Premiership. The team was named after the Matariki star cluster which is also featured on the team's logo. They were grand finali ...

New Zealand

Nweke was thought to be a player that will get selected for the

2019 Netball World Cup The 2019 Netball World Cup (also known as the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 15th edition of the INF Netball World Cup. It was held from 12–21 July 2019 at the Liverpool Arena in Liverpool, England with match ...

based on her 2019 performance in the

but ultimately was not selected by

Noeline Taurua Dame Noeline Taurua (born 26 March 1968) is a New Zealand international netball coach and former representative player. She is currently head coach of the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns. Early life Taurua was born in Pa ...

citing fitness issues and being too young. Nweke made her national debut on 22 September 2021 against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in a

2021 Taini Jamison Trophy Series The 2021 Taini Jamison Trophy Series, also known as the 2021 Cadbury Netball Series, was the 12th Taini Jamison Trophy series. It featured New Zealand playing England in three netball test matches, played in September 2021. All three tests we ...

match but this ended in disappointment as the team lost 55-45. In 2021 she was nominated at the

Halberg Awards The Halberg Awards are a set of awards, given annually since 1949, recognising New Zealand's top sporting achievements. They are named for New Zealand former middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Sir Murray Halberg. The initial award ...

for the Emerging Talent Award but lost out to swimmer

Erika Fairweather Erika Fairweather (born 31 December 2003) is a New Zealand swimmer who competed at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships and the 2020 Summer Olympics. Fairweather was born in Dunedin, She is of mixed European and Māori descent, affiliating with ...

. Nweke was selected for the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

and was noted as having a standout performance in the Bronze medal final against

, when New Zealand won 55-48. Nweke's stellar performance was again followed up in the

2022 Constellation Cup The 2022 Constellation Cup was the 12th Constellation Cup series between Australia and New Zealand. The series was held in October 2022 across four netball test matches, with two matches each held in New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand were ...

against the Australian Diamonds having never come up against Australian players her shooting form was noted as being flawless, despite this, the

Silver Ferns The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern ('' Cyathea dealbata''), which is an emblem for many New Zealand ...

ended up losing the tournament 2-2 to the Australian Diamonds. Nweke was selected for the 2023 Netball Quad Series in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

and was the only player of the

team to play four full games, however the

lost to the Australian Diamonds in the final 56-50. Further recognition and praise was gained when she won the best shooter and overall player of the series.

Honours

* Bronze medal:

**''Winners'':

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

Personal Honours

At the 2022 Netball awards Nweke was awarded the

Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award The following is a list notable New Zealand netball international players who have represented the national team in international tournaments such as the Commonwealth Games, the Netball World Cup, the World Games, the Taini Jamison Trophy, the ...

shared with fellow

player Kelly Jury, as well as the Silver Ferns Player of the Year .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nweke, Grace 2002 births Living people New Zealand netball players New Zealand international netball players ANZ Premiership players Northern Mystics players National Netball League (New Zealand) players New Zealand people of Nigerian descent People educated at Avondale College University of Auckland alumni 21st-century New Zealand women Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games medallists in netball Netball players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games