GOLD COAST (Australia) - Across Oceania, women are stepping into leadership roles that are reshaping the future of basketball, not through grand gestures, but through steady, intentional work rooted in community.
This year, two women from the Oceania region, Meaghan Wilby of New Zealand and Michelle Kautz of the Northern Mariana Islands, carried that spirit onto the global stage as participants in the Women in Basketball Leadership Oceania Program and later as selected members of the FIBA Women Leaders’ Program supported by Molten.
Their journeys, though shaped by vastly different national contexts, share a common thread: a belief that women’s leadership in basketball is already here, and it deserves to be recognised, amplified, and invested in.
For Meaghan, the experience has been a reminder of what can happen when a federation commits to developing women leaders with purpose. Her project, which focused on strengthening and scaling the Basketball New Zealand Emerging Leaders Program, placed third globally, an achievement she sees not as a personal accolade, but as a reflection of the collective effort behind her.
Being selected as one of the winners is a huge honour, but really the most meaningful part about it is that this is a reflection and an honour of all the work that people back home have been doing across basketball in New Zealand … most importantly our emerging leaders but also all our leaders out in the communities all across New Zealand.
Her vision is grounded in impact, not prestige.
The program’s next phase will reach more women, more communities, and more stories of female leadership across Aotearoa. “This money is going to help us scale the impact of our emerging leaders program … to really shine a light on telling the stories of the current awesome females out there in basketball making change across the country.”
What she values most from the global experience is the connection, the sense of being part of a wider movement. “What I've loved most… is being able to connect with the other women across the globe. It has been really inspiring.”
Her reflections on leadership are grounded. “Sometimes we don't always need to do new and bigger and more. Sometimes we need to do the things we're currently doing better.” It’s a mindset shaped by her work at home, her time in Berlin, and the women who raised her. “Without a doubt, the most influential woman in my life is my mum, she's a powerhouse of a lady who is warm and kind and my number one supporter.”
Thousands of kilometres away, Mikki’s journey began in a very different environment, one where basketball is deeply tied to family, community, and identity. Representing the Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation, she arrived in Berlin carrying the perspective of a small island nation stepping into a global space.
“Honestly, everything has been so mind boggling,” she said. “I never thought that I'd ever get the opportunity to even attend a Women’s World Cup … it has been such a surreal experience.”
Her honesty about navigating global rooms as a young woman from a small federation is striking.
“I find it comforting but also a little scary sometimes, knowing that I'm from such a small country in such a global space.” But the program didn’t intimidate her, it expanded her sense of possibility.
When I go back home, I feel like I could probably take on the world, and at least take a seat at the table there. Hearing everyone else's situations and perspectives has definitely given me ideas on what I can do back home, what I can do at a community level.
Listening to women from larger federations helped her see new pathways for her own community. Mikki believes change begins with shifting mindsets around girls’ participation. “Back home… there needs to be more backing with family. Family is such a huge part of basketball … we need to be able to push our girls and support them to be able to honestly do anything.”
Both Meaghan and Mikki carry messages for girls across Oceania that feel deeply personal and together, their stories form a powerful regional narrative, one that shows leadership emerging from both established national systems and small island communities. With the continued support of PacificAusSports throughout the Oceania region, Women in Basketball initiatives will continue to demonstrate that when organisations invest in women, when they create pathways, when they believe in their potential, the ripple effects reach far beyond the program itself.
As we approach International Day of the Girl Child, Meaghan and Mikki’s journeys remind us that empowering girls in basketball is not just about opportunity, it’s about visibility, belief, and the courage to take up space.
Their voices, their leadership, and their impact show that the future of women’s basketball in Oceania is already being built by women who are lifting others as they rise, proving that girls across the region deserve every chance to lead, to grow, and to shape the game for generations to come.