Cathrine Tuivaiti (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Latu; born 25 October 1986) is a netball international who has played for

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

, List of New Zealand international netball players, New Zealand and Tonga national netball team, Tonga. She represented Samoa at the Netball at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2007 World Netball Championships, New Zealand at the Netball at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2014 Commonwealth Games and Tonga at the 2023 Netball World Cup. During the National Bank Cup era, she played for Northern Force. During the ANZ Championship era, she played for Northern Mystics. She subsequently played for Central Pulse, Adelaide Thunderbirds, Strathclyde Sirens and Severn Stars. In 2022, she was included on a list of the 25 best players to feature in netball in New Zealand, netball leagues in New Zealand since 1998.

Early life, family and education

Latu is the daughter of Mary-Anne Huxtable and David Latu. Her mother is Pālagi with some Ngāpuhi/Māori people, Māori ancestry. Her father is mostly Tongan New Zealanders, Tongan with some Samoan New Zealanders, Samoan ancestry. His family is originally from Nukuʻalofa. Cathrine is the sixth of ten children. She has five sisters and four brothers. She was born in Auckland. However the family subsequently moved to Kawakawa, New Zealand, Kawakawa in the Bay of Islands area. Cathrine attended Kawakawa Primary School and Bay of Islands College. Between 2001 and 2004, Latu attended Massey High School on a scholarship. While attending Massey High, she met and started dating, Jimmy Tuivaiti. She subsequently attended Auckland University of Technology. In 2016 Latu and Tuivaiti married. Together they have two children. Tuivaiti is an Italy national rugby union team, Italy rugby union international. Her cousin, Tevita Leo-Latu played rugby league for New Zealand national rugby league team, New Zealand and Tonga national rugby league team, Tonga.

Playing career

Club career

Northern Force

Between 2005 and 2007, Latu made 21 senior appearances for Northern Force in the National Bank Cup league. She was a member of the Force team that played in the 2007 grand final, which they lost to Southern Sting.

Northern Mystics

Between 2008 ANZ Championship season, 2008 and 2016 ANZ Championship season, 2016, Latu made 122 senior appearances for Northern Mystics in the ANZ Championship. She was a member of the inaugural Mystics team. Ahead of the 2009 ANZ Championship season, 2009 season, Latu was given special dispensation by the league to play for Mystics due to complications resulting from her decision to switch her international allegiances from

to New Zealand national netball team, New Zealand. Latu was a member of the 2011 Northern Mystics season, 2011 Northern Mystics team that finished as grand finalists in the 2011 ANZ Championship season, ANZ Championship. During the same season, Latu made her 50th ANZ Championship/Mystics appearance in a 2011 ANZ Championship season, Round 11 match against Canterbury Tactix. Throughout her time with Mystics, Latu was known for her shooting accuracy. She was the most accurate shooter in the 2012 ANZ Championship season, 2012 ANZ Championship, averaging 97.5%. On 13 April 2015, during a 2015 ANZ Championship season#Round 7, Round 7 match against Central Pulse, Latu made her 100th ANZ Championship/Mystics appearance. She subsequently helped Mystics finish as 2015 ANZ Championship season, 2015 ANZ Championship#New Zealand Conference, New Zealand Conference minor premiers. She also finished the 2015 ANZ Championship season, 2015 ANZ Championship as the league's most-accurate goal shooter, averaging 93.8%. When Latu left Mystics at the end of the 2015 season, she was the last remaining original member of the franchise.

Central Pulse

Ahead of the 2017 season, Tuivaiti signed for Central Pulse. She was subsequently a prominent member of the 2017 Central Pulse season, 2017 Central Pulse team that finished as grand finalists in the 2017 ANZ Premiership season, ANZ Premiership and as semi-finalists in the 2017 Netball New Zealand Super Club, Netball New Zealand Super Club tournament. Tuivaiti made her 150th senior league appearance in a 2017 ANZ Premiership season#Round 6, Round 6 match against Southern Steel (netball), Southern Steel. She was the 2017 ANZ Premiership's most accurate shooter, scoring 483 from 509 and finishing the season with a 95% accuracy rate.

Adelaide Thunderbirds

Ahead of the 2018 Suncorp Super Netball season, Tuivaiti signed for Adelaide Thunderbirds. However in her final match for Central Pulse, during the 2017 Netball New Zealand Super Club, Super Club tournament, she suffered an Anterior cruciate ligament injury, ACL injury. In June 2018, after eleven months of rehabilitation, Tuivaiti played four games for Southern Force (netball), Southern Force, the Thunderbirds reserve team, in the Australian Netball League. On 8 July, she eventually made her senior debut for Thunderbirds in a 2018 Suncorp Super Netball season#Round 10, Round 10 match against Collingwood Magpies (netball), Collingwood Magpies. In total she made five appearances for Thunderbirds.

Netball Superleague

Ahead of the 2019 Netball Superleague season, Tuivaiti signed for Strathclyde Sirens. She was effectively a training partner for the Scotland national netball team as they prepared for the 2019 Netball World Cup. However in March 2019, it was announced that she was pregnant with her first child and would be unable to complete the season. During the 2021 Netball Superleague season, 2021 season, Tuivaiti was a member of Severn Stars coaching team. During the 2022 Netball Superleague season, 2022 season, she made 13 playing appearances for Stars. Ahead of the 2023 Netball Superleague season, 2023 season, Tuivaiti was appointed head coach of Wasps Netball. She also agreed terms to join the playing squad. However, Wasps parent company subsequently went into Administration in United Kingdom law, administration, leaving the coaches and players, including Tuivaiti, without a job.

Gold Coast Titans

In 2023, after answering a call from their head coach, her former Mystics team mate Temepara Bailey, Tuivaiti played for Gold Coast Titans in the Sapphire Series.

International career

Samoa

Between 2005 and 2007, Latu made 30 senior appearances for

. She represented Samoa at the Netball at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2007 World Netball Championships.

World 7

In August 2009, Latu played for a World Netball, World 7 team, coached by Julie Fitzgerald, that played New Zealand national netball team, New Zealand in the 2009 Taini Jamison Trophy Series. Latu played in the first and third tests, helping the World 7 win the series 2–1. She was player of the match for the first test. On 3 September 2009, she played for a World 7 team, coached by Robyn Broughton, that played Australia national netball team, Australia in a one-off test. Latu partnered Donna Wilkins in the shooting circle and helped the World 7 win 52–43.

New Zealand

In March 2011 it was reported that Netball New Zealand were appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to declare Latu eligible to represent New Zealand national netball team, New Zealand at the 2011 World Netball Championships. International Federation of Netball Associations rules stated a player could not represent two different countries at successive World Netball Championships. Netball New Zealand cited the case of Vilimaina Davu, who had represented New Zealand in 2003 World Netball Championships, 2003 and Fiji national netball team, Fiji in 2007 World Netball Championships, 2007. In April 2011, Latu was named in the New Zealand squad for the 2011 World Netball Championships. However, CAS ruled that Netball New Zealand had made their appeal too late, saying they should have presented it in 2009. On 3 October 2011, Latu eventually made her senior debut for New Zealand against England national netball team, England during the 2011 Taini Jamison Trophy Series. She came on for the second half, scoring 17 from 17. In the same match, Kayla Cullen and Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick also made their senior New Zealand debuts. She was a member of the New Zealand teams that won the 2012 Constellation Cup and the 2013 Fast5 Netball World Series. She was also a member of the New Zealand team that were silver medallists at the Netball at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2014 Commonwealth Games. However, Latu subsequently fell out of favour and she was dropped for the 2015 Netball World Cup and the 2015 Constellation Cup. In April 2022, she was one of 25 List of New Zealand international netball players, New Zealand internationals included on a list of the best players to feature in netball in New Zealand, netball leagues in New Zealand since 1998.

Tonga

In June 2023, Tuivaiti was selected to play for the Tonga national netball team, Tonga for the 2023 Netball World Cup.

Personal life

Tuivaiti has spoken openly about her weight issues, including having to deal with cyberbullying.

Honours

;New Zealand national netball team, New Zealand *Constellation Cup **''Winners'': 2012 Constellation Cup, 2012 *Fast5 Netball World Series **''Winners'': 2013 Fast5 Netball World Series, 2013 **''Runners Up'': 2011 World Netball Series, 2011 *Taini Jamison Trophy **''Winners'': 2011 Taini Jamison Trophy Series, 2011, 2013 Taini Jamison Trophy Series, 2013, 2014 Taini Jamison Trophy Series, 2014 *Netball at the Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Games **''Runners Up'': Netball at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2014 *Netball Quad Series **''Runners Up'': 2012 Netball Quad Series, 2012 ;Central Pulse *ANZ Premiership **''Runners Up'': 2017 ANZ Premiership season, 2017 ;Northern Mystics *ANZ Championship **''Runners Up'': 2011 ANZ Championship season, 2011 *ANZ Championship#New Zealand Conference, ANZ Championship – New Zealand Conference **''Minor premiers'': 2015 ANZ Championship season, 2015 ;Northern Force *National Bank Cup **''Runners Up'': 2007 ;World Netball, World 7 *Taini Jamison Trophy **''Winners'': 2009 Taini Jamison Trophy Series, 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuivaiti, Cathrine 1986 births Living people Samoan netball players Tongan netball players New Zealand netball players New Zealand netball coaches New Zealand Māori netball players New Zealand international netball players New Zealand international Fast5 players Netball players from Auckland Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Netball players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Netball players at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists in netball Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand 2007 World Netball Championships players 2023 Netball World Cup players Northern Force players Northern Mystics players Adelaide Thunderbirds players Sirens Netball players Severn Stars players Wasps Netball players Southern Force (netball) players Central Pulse players ANZ Championship players ANZ Premiership players Australian Netball League players Netball Superleague players Netball Superleague coaches Queensland state netball league players New Zealand expatriate netball people in Australia New Zealand expatriate netball people in England New Zealand expatriate netball people in Scotland New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent New Zealand sportspeople of Tongan descent Samoan expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Samoan expatriate sportspeople in England Samoan expatriate sportspeople in Australia Ngāpuhi people People educated at Massey High School Auckland University of Technology alumni 21st-century New Zealand sportswomen