Mirth Solomon

Mirth Solomon (born 1939) was a New Zealand Māori netball player who competed for New Zealand in the 1963 and 1967 Netball World Cups, winning a silver and gold medal. After retiring, she played an important role in Netball Rotorua, retiring in 2016 after 15 years as its president. She was inducted into the in 2003.

Early life[]

Mirth Solomon (née Te Moananui) was born on 22 April 1939 in Paeroa in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. Her mother was Alma Thwaites and her father Eruini Taharua Te Moananui. She had ten siblings. After attending Paeroa College, where she participated in a wide range of sports, she was sent in 1956 to the Queen Victoria Boarding School in Auckland, which was an Anglican school for Māori girls that closed down in 2001. In 1958 she joined the Auckland Teachers Training College, obtaining teaching qualifications. Her first teaching job was at the Pukekohe Māori School and this was followed by schools in Pukehina and Mamaku. She married Roger Solomon, a rugby coach, in 1964 and they had two daughters.^[1][2]

Netball career[]

Solomon represented Auckland at the Under-21 level in 1959. She was selected for the Auckland A team in 1960 before moving to the Rotorua A team. She took part in selection trials for the national team in 1962 and was selected for the team in 1963, travelling by ship to the United Kingdom to take part in the first world championships, which were held in Eastbourne, England. New Zealand won a silver medal. In the 1967 tournament, held in Perth, Australia, she was a member of the team that won the gold medal. Solomon, who had given birth not long before the event, was the tournament's top scorer. She became known for leading the team in a victory Haka, a Māori ceremonial dance.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

After retiring from competition, Solomon continued to be involved with netball at the Rotorua club. In 2001 she succeeded Taini Jamison, who had been her coach for the 1967 world championships, as president of the club, relinquishing the position in 2016. She also became a senior-level umpire. In 2003 she had been inducted into the Maori Sports Hall of Fame.^[1][6][7]

Later career[]

Solomon continued to teach, becoming physical education teacher at the Rotorua Girls' High School in 1965. In 1969 Kaitao Intermediate School was established in Rotorua and she became a founding member of staff, retiring as Deputy Principal in 2005.^[1]

References[]