Acknowledged for her services to netball and the community, former Netball New Zealand (NNZ) President Beverley (Bev) Douglas has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the 2022 New Year Honours.
With over 50 years involvement in netball, Douglas has become a stalwart of the sport while holding a multitude of administrative roles following an active playing and coaching career between 1971 and 1989.
From where it all began, Douglas has remained an integral member of the Auckland Netball Centre for over five decades, becoming its President in recent years. That lifetime involvement has been interspersed with a number of key club, franchise and international roles where she became a leading figure.
Douglas held a number of managerial positons over the years, including managing the NZU21 team to the World Youth Championship in 1992 and the Young International and Youth Team which toured Canada and South Africa in 1994/1995. She was Manager Facilitator for NNZ in 1997.
Her expertise also covered multiple governance roles which kicked off when she became President of the Papatoetoe Rangers Netball Club from 1982 to 1990. She was a Board member of Netball New Zealand from 1997 to 1999, the Diamond Franchise Board from 1998 to 2006, and chaired the Auckland/Waitakere Netball Region Board from 1999 to 2004. She was also President of NNZ from 2015 to 2019.
Between 1984 and 2004, Douglas was also involved in importanrt behind the scenes roles which included being the TVNZ netball statistician, World Championship statistician, and Event Manager for the Diamonds, Auckland Area and the Fisher and Paykel Series and New Zealand Tests.
In the wider community, Douglas has been on the Board of the Pauanui Sports and Recreation Club since 2008, becoming President in later years. She has also been Club Captain of the Pauanui Women’s Golf Club Committee, President of the Pauanui Bridge Club, and has organised community fundraising events.