Dedicated team player balances elite Sport with Service to deliver impressive multi-sport season

Sport has been the heartbeat of her life, her connection to whānau, and the vehicle that has taken her from Hawke’s Bay to the world stage.

This year, her remarkable contribution to sport - both on and off the field - has been recognised with the 2025 New Zealand Defence Force Sportsperson of the Year Award, honouring an athlete whose achievements, leadership, and embodiment of NZDF values set the highest possible standard.

In July last year, Petty Officer Puketapu played for the NZ Touch Blacks Women’s Team, winning silver at the 2024 Federation of International Touch World Cup in Nottingham, England.

She went on to have a stellar 2025, where she:

• represented New Zealand in the NZ Open Mixed Touch Team – earning the NZ Open Mixed Female MVP.
• played for the 2025 NRL Māori All Stars, and was named in the NRL All Stars Team of the Match.
• represented the NZ Māori Open Women’s Touch Team in Sydney

“Playing for the Māori All Stars… that was special,” she says. “It wasn’t just sport. It was representing my iwi, my hapu – the whole kaupapa was amazing.”

With 33 caps playing for New Zealand Touch Blacks, she says she’s looking ahead with her eye on 50 caps, before she thinks about starting to hang up her boots.

For the provinces she played for the Premier Touch League Northern Strikers and North Harbour Open Women’s Team, and she represented the RNZN in rugby and netball, and captained both the RNZN Open Women’s Touch Team, and the RNZN Women’s Basketball Team, where she was awarded Services Women’s MVP for both tournaments.

Born in Napier, and raised between there and her home in Patangata, Hawke’s Bay, Petty Officer Puketapu (Ngāti Porou/ Ngāti Kahungunu) grew up with a ball in her hand.

“My koro always said as soon as I could walk, I was playing something,” she laughs.

At Hukarere Māori Girls College, she became head girl and sports prefect, representing Hawke’s Bay in basketball, netball, and touch.

In 2011 after homesickness and injury guided her back to Aotearoa from a US basketball scholarship, she briefly considered the New Zealand Police, but was too young, so she joined the Royal New Zealand Navy seeking challenge, sport, and adventure.

“I just wanted something different,” she says. “To play sport, travel, and challenge myself. Navy felt like throwing myself in the deep end – in a good way.”

Alongside her elite sporting achievements, she has developed and led an NZDF-wide “Wāhine Whakamarohirohi” strength and wellness programme, creating dedicated space to educate and empower women within the gym environment to live fitter, stronger, healthier lifestyles. Her vision has already influenced planning for future women-focused physical capability training across the Services.

Her dedication to mentorship, especially supporting junior athletes and first-time players, was highlighted in her nomination and strongly praised by the selection panel.

Petty Officer Puketapu’s elite performance, leadership, teamwork, humility, and service to others makes her an extremely deserving recipient of the NZDF’s highest sporting honour.