Erikana Pedersen (born 28 July 1994) is a former New Zealand netball international. She began her senior netball playing career with

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 ...

during the

ANZ Championship The ANZ Championship, also known as the Trans-Tasman Netball League, is a former netball league featuring teams from both Australia and New Zealand. Between 2008 and 2016, it was the top-level league in both countries. The competition was owned ...

era. Between

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

and

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, Pedersen played for

Mainland Tactix Mainland Tactix are a New Zealand netball team based in Christchurch, Canterbury. Between 1998 and 2007, as Canterbury Flames, they played in the Coca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup league. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Champions ...

. In both

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and

, she was a prominent member of the Tactix teams that finished as

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 Netbal ...

runners up and grand finalists. In

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

she was a member of the

Central Pulse Central Pulse are a New Zealand netball team based in Wellington. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017 they have represented Netball Central in the ANZ Premiership. Netball Central is the governing body that ...

team that were ANZ Premiership champions. As a result, between 2020 and 2022, Pedersen played in three successive ANZ Premiership grand finals.

Early life, family and education

Erikana Pedersen Baledrokadroka was born in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. She was born into a

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

family with ancestry from both

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

and the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

. Her Fijian family are from Matailobau in Naitasiri. She is the daughter of Ratu Jope Tini Rinabobo, also known as Paul Baledrokadroka, a teacher at

Kelston Boys' High School Kelston Boys' High School ("KBHS") () is an all-boys state secondary school in Kelston, a suburb in the Waitakere region of Auckland, New Zealand. It was created in 1963 when the roll of Kelston High School (formed in 1954) became too large fo ...

. He attended

Marist Brothers High School Marist Brothers High School is a Roman Catholic all-boys' high school situated in Suva, the capital of Fiji. It is a school in the Marist tradition, founded in 1946 by the order of Marist Brothers, which has had a presence in Fiji since 1844. T ...

Suva Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...

and is the younger brother of

Jone Baledrokadroka Jone Baledrokadroka (born 9 November 1958 in Suva, Fiji) is a Fijian academic and former soldier who served briefly as Republic of Fiji Military Forces Land Force Commander in January 2006. He was dismissed from the post after only four days after ...

. Pedersen is the eldest of five siblings. Her brother, Mandela Baledrokadroka, attended

Davis & Elkins College Davis & Elkins College (D&E) is a private college in Elkins, West Virginia, United States. It operates as a nonprofit liberal arts college and is affiliated with the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities. History The school was ...

on a

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

scholarship, while another brother, Bonowai Baledrokadroka, has played

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

as well as a younger for the

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Newcastle, New South Wales that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top-tier competition in New ...

under-20 as well as her two younger siblings Leilani and John-Paul Baledrokadroka who attend Westlake girls high school and Rosmini College team. Pedersen attended

Mount Albert Grammar School Mount Albert Grammar School, commonly known as MAGS, is a co-educational state secondary school in Mount Albert in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students in year levels 9 to 13. , Mount Albert Grammar School is the second largest school in N ...

. Together with

Maia Wilson Maia Wilson (born 21 September 1997) is a New Zealand netball international. She was a member of the New Zealand teams that won the 2017 Netball World Youth Cup and the 2021 Constellation Cup. She also represented New Zealand at the 2022 Com ...

and Jamie-Lee Price, she was a member of MAGS teams that won four successive New Zealand Secondary School netball titles between 2012 and 2015. Pedersen has also attended

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology ( AUT; ) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT is New Zealand's third largest university i ...

and

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

Playing career

Northern Mystics

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

and

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, Pedersen played for

in the

Mainland Tactix

Between

and

, Pedersen played for

. While a Tactix player, Pedersen guested for Marama Vou, a

Netball Fiji Netball in Fiji is a popular sport, with a men's and a women's national team. Netball games are most often played by girls on Saturdays during the winter, though games can be played at all times of the year. Women's participation in netball is ...

representative team that played in the

2017 Netball New Zealand Super Club The 2017 Netball New Zealand Super Club was the inaugural Netball New Zealand Super Club tournament. With a team coached by Reinga Bloxham, captained by Wendy Frew and featuring Gina Crampton, Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, Shannon Francois, and Jane W ...

tournament. On 23 May 2018, during a ANZ Premiership Round 3 49–48 win over

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 finalist ...

, Pedersen made 50th senior league appearance. She was subsequently a member of the Tactix team that finished as runners up to

in the

2018 Netball New Zealand Super Club The 2018 Netball New Zealand Super Club was the second edition of Netball New Zealand's invitational tournament. With a team coached by Yvette McCausland-Durie, captained by Katrina Grant and featuring Karin Burger, Aliyah Dunn, Ameliaranne E ...

tournament. Pedersen missed most of the

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

season after suffering an

ACL injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during in ...

just four minutes into the first round match against

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic are a New Zealand netball team based in Hamilton. The team were formed in 1998, following the merger of Waikato Wildcats and Bay of Plenty Magic. In 1997, Wildcats and Magic had been founder members of the Coca-Col ...

. However, she successfully returned from the injury and in both

and

, she was a prominent member of the Tactix teams that finished as

runners up and grand finalists. Pedersen was not included in the

Tactix squad after deciding to step back from the elite game. Pedersen returned to the

for the 2024 ANZ Premiership season. Pedersen was named captain for the 2025 ANZ Premiership season with vice captain

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 ...

Central Pulse

Ahead of the

season, Pedersen came out of her brief retirement and joined

as a temporary replacement player. She received a call from Wai Taumaunu, the high performance director and a specialist coach, after

Maddy Gordon Maddy Gordon (born 16 January 2000) is a New Zealand netball international. She was a member of the New Zealand teams that won the 2021 Constellation Cup and the 2022 Taini Jamison Trophy Series. She also represented New Zealand at the 2023 ...

missed the start of the season with a knee injury. On 21 May 2022, during a 59–49 win over

Southern Steel Southern Steel may refer to: * Southern Steel (netball) Southern Steel are a netball in New Zealand, New Zealand netball team based in Invercargill. Between 2008 ANZ Championship season, 2008 and 2016 ANZ Championship season, 2016, they played ...

, Pedersen made her 100th senior league appearance. She went to help Pulse win their third

title. The grand final was her 104th senior league appearance.

New Zealand

Together with

Malia Paseka Malia Vaka (née Paseka; born 23 September 1994) is a New Zealand netball player who played junior netball in Australia. She was then a member of the New Zealand national netball team at the 2015 Netball World Cup The Netball World Cup Sydn ...

Te Paea Selby-Rickit Te Paea Selby-Rickit (born 14 January 1992) is a New Zealand netball international. She was a member of the New Zealand teams that won the 2019 Netball World Cup. She has also represented New Zealand at the 2018 and the 2022 Commonwealth Games ...

and

Phoenix Karaka Phoenix Karaka (born 6 November 1993) is a New Zealand netball international. She was a member of the New Zealand teams that won the 2019 Netball World Cup. Christine Papali'i is her mother. Career Following her success at secondary school l ...

, Pedersen was a member of the

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

team that won the 2013 World Youth Netball Championship. Between 2015 and 2018 she was a member of New Zealand development squads. She also represented New Zealand at the

2017 Fast5 Netball World Series The 2017 Fast5 Netball World Series was the 8th Fast5 Netball World Series. Australia hosted England, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand and South Africa in a series, played in October 2017, at Melbourne's Hisense Arena. With a team coached by Tracey ...

. On 14 October 2018, Pedersen made her only senior appearance for New Zealand in a 55–44 win against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

during the 2018 Constellation Cup. She replaced Gina Crampton who left the court early in the first quarter for medical attention.

Statistics

Grand finals

ANZ Premiership

, - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, style="text-align:center;", Tactix , , 0/0, , ?, , 6, , 172, , ?, , 4, , 6, , 59, , 22, , 12 , - style="background-color: #eaeaea" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, style="text-align:center;", Tactix , , 0/0, , ?, , 6, , 232, , ?, , 2, , 11, , 86, , 49, , 16 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", Tactix , , 0/0, , 1, , 0, , 1, , 2, , 0, , 0, , 1, , 1, , 1 , - style="background-color: #eaeaea" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", Tactix , 0/0, , 185, , 0, , 182, , 384, , 2, , 9, , 49, , 35, , 15 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", Tactix , 0/0, , 73, , 0, , 88, , 197, , 2, , 3, , 30, , 10, , 10 , - style="background-color: #eaeaea" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;",

Pulse In medicine, the pulse refers to the rhythmic pulsations (expansion and contraction) of an artery in response to the cardiac cycle (heartbeat). The pulse may be felt ( palpated) in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surfac ...

, 0/0, , ?, , 0, , 2, , 374, , 7, , 14, , 60, , 45, , 16 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2, Career ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Honours

;

**''Winners'':

**''Minor premiers'':

;

**''Runners up'':

Netball New Zealand Super Club The Netball New Zealand Super Club was a netball tournament organised by Netball New Zealand. It featured teams from the ANZ Premiership as well as invited overseas teams, including teams from Australia, Great Britain, South Africa and Singapor ...

**''Runners Up'':

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedersen, Erikana 1994 births Living people New Zealand netball players New Zealand international netball players New Zealand international Fast5 players Northern Mystics players Mainland Tactix players Central Pulse players ANZ Championship players ANZ Premiership players Netball players from Auckland People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School Auckland University of Technology alumni Massey University alumni New Zealand people of Fijian descent New Zealand sportspeople of Cook Island descent 21st-century New Zealand sportswomen