Photography: Emily Chalk.
Maia Wilson might call herself a townie, but these days, she gets a kick out of seeing her pristine netball shoes parked beside a pair of muddy gumboots. During the past year, the Silver Ferns shooter has navigated a stream of major life changes – including new roles on the airwaves and moving out of the city to live on a Kumeū farm in Auckland’s northwest with her partner Liam Lonergan.
“I’ve taken a deep dive into the unknown,” laughs Maia, 28.
The house is located on a ridge behind rolling farmland that’s been in Liam’s mum’s family for around a century. Maia’s bedroom window looks out over layered shades of green, dotted with grazing cattle and horses. Despite the idyllic view, some aspects of rural life test her.
“I’m the most townie person,” she exclaims.
“I don’t like bugs but big blowflies come with the territory on a farm. I also don’t like animal poo and the paddocks are covered in cowpats, and sheep and horse dung! “But the most beautiful part is that I can just look out my window to get a sense of peace and serenity. I realise now there’s more to life than being tunnel-visioned on one goal.”
Resetting and reflecting
Being in this space has supported Maia to make some big calls about her netball future. After captaining the Northern Stars, she’s moved further north this season to the champion Mystics and, after taking a break from international netball in the second half of 2025, she now feels ready to pull on the black dress again.
“I felt like I’d been on a Ferris wheel for the past 10 years,” Maia confesses.
“I just needed some time to take a breather, reset and see what else was in store for me. “People forget I was 18 when I made my debut for the Silver Ferns, but I was 15 when I first got into the national development squad. Netball is pretty much all I’ve known. “Over the past nine months, I’ve been in a phase of my life where I’m thinking, ‘What can I do? Where can I explore?’ It’s been more about Maia off the court and what excites her.”
Stepping into broadcasting
Turning to another of her passions – broadcasting – she’s finally putting her communications degree to good use.
The sports star smiles, “I love talking, I love being around people and I don’t mind taking the mickey out of myself sometimes.”
Now working part-time in radio, Maia is a producer at radio network Sport Nation and an on-air announcer at Mai FM.
“I’m on the first stepping stone in sports radio, working with some really cool people and being one of the only females in the office,” she says.
“That’s been a real eye-opener as a female athlete who’s always been around women. “It’s an awesome learning experience discovering what goes on behind the scenes and putting my sports contacts to good use too. At Mai, I’ve been an announcer on the weekends through most of the summer. It’s fun working for a radio station I’ve grown up listening to, and in a place where I can thrive and be me.”
Branching out beyond netball
Along with radio, there have been speaking engagements, plus a TV show about cricket with Toni Street and comedian Ben Hurley.
“It’s been great doing work in a space I’d like to transition to after my netball career. I’m not a one-trick pony any more.”
As much as she loves her new life, Maia’s found the work-life balance challenging.
She explains, “I now understand how tiring it is to be a working athlete! I took my athlete lifestyle very much for granted and I’m grateful to the trailblazers who opened this path for me. I’m working seven days a week and I love it, but I’m also aware I don’t want to burn myself out.”
Rediscovering her love for netball
Once the ANZ Premiership season kicks off next month, Maia’s focus will be on netball. After nine seasons with the Stars, five of them as captain, she’s found it “really refreshing” to be part of the Mystics, without a leadership role.
Maia reflects, “Sometimes change is the scariest thing, but to be honest, I probably needed change a while ago. It took me a long time to detach. The move has meant that I can rediscover my love for the game.”
She’s also had her childhood passion for athletics rekindled as one of the celebrities competing in the TVNZ sporting event Track Stars. Filmed live in Auckland last week, it saw her doing 100m and 400m sprints, as well as shot put, against the likes of Black Ferns legend Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, radio star Jono Pryor and former Shortland Street actress Turia Schmidt-Peke.
“I grew up doing athletics, but I’m not a runner,” Maia admits.
“The farthest I’ve had to run on TV is 20 metres! I was a thrower in shot put and discus. I did well till I was 14. I went to a trans-Tasman meet in Australia and I was asked to join a throwing academy.”
The team player ethos
But when faced with a choice between netball, basketball and throwing, Maia opted for the team sports.
“I’ve never wanted to compete alone. I’ve always enjoyed the connection with people you get through netball. It takes a special kind of person to be an individual athlete – I don’t know if I’d have the grit.”
Embracing life as “a full-on westie” in Auckland and with her own whānau providing support from the Far North, Maia’s enjoying the bonus of being close to Liam’s tight-knit family.
“I’m lucky to be living on this beautiful farm and just being me,” says Maia, who loves speaking te reo Māori with Liam’s three-year-old niece Navie-Waipunarangi.
“I’m also very grateful for a lovin partner who always has my back,” she shares.
Finding her person
Liam, who starred in Heartbreak Island in 2018, works as an events promoter with his dad, former Kiwi league tough guy Dean Lonergan. He and Maia met online.
“One night, Liam picked me up and dropped me home, then he just never left my house,” she laughs.
“Three years later, we’re still together. There’s so much I admire about him that I couldn’t do – he’s very opinionated and strong in his thoughts, but he’s massively whānau-driven. We’re so different, I don’t think we’d work on paper. But he’s my person and my safe space, and I know I’m his.”
Chasing netball glory
Maia sees the 2026 netball season as her chance to reclaim the joy in her game. She’s also aiming for a prize that has always eluded her.
“I’d love to win a premiership title. I’ve come close a few times but never reached the pinnacle. I’m now in a team that can help me do that. You can’t teach winning or performing under pressure. I’m grateful to be surrounded by people who have done that time and time again. “It’s the same with the Silver Ferns – I’ve been there, but I haven’t won a World Cup or a Commonwealth Games. I still have the drive to be part of a team who can win those titles. At the moment, it’s just wait and see. But I’m definitely not retiring any time soon.”
Track Stars is now streaming on TVNZ+.
