Trailblazers with Rikki and Kirstie: Recent Episodes
SENZ
SENZ's Kirstie Stanway and Rikki Swannell focus on New Zealand female athletes and administrators who have helped shape women’s sports.
Each week Rikki and Kirstie will take listeners behind the scenes of the NZ sporting industry and interview female athletes from all codes.
Maia Jackman is one of the most recognizable faces in NZ football. During a two decade career she played 50 times for the Football Ferns and turned out for the FIFA All Stars.She talks about a career that was far from a perfect straight line, the upcoming Women’s World Cup and what she’s discovered about “murdering middle age".
Suzanne McFadden has been one of New Zealand’s leading sports writers for many years. Starting out as a general news report yet before cracking into the NZ Herald sports department, Suzanne is the founder and editor of LockerRoom, dedicated to covering women’s sport.
The second of three World Cup’s hosted in New Zealand is here. Tournament Director for Rugby World Cup Michelle Hooper joins us on Trailblazers to give an insight into running a major event, pandemic postponements, how Peter Blake’s red socks inspired her to get involved in sport and bringing Rita Ora to NZ.
Katie Sadlier is an Olympian, Commonwealth Games bronze medalist and one of our trailblazing sports administrators. Until recently she held a senior position at World Rugby, before moving on to become the head of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
Sarah Gregorius played for the Football Ferns for a decade, competing at three World Cups and two Olympic Games. She's now working in a top level role at FIFPRO, the global players association for football.
Kereyn Smith is undoubtedly one of New Zealand's most outstanding sports leaders. She's most recently been the head of the New Zealand Olympic Committee and holds key roles with the IOC and Commonwealth Games Federation.
Jo Caird is one of New Zealand's leading sports photographers. She was the first ever official photographer for the All Blacks and gives us an insight into life on tour, her favourite player and moments to photograph and why she wasn't taken seriously when she was starting out.
Megan Signal is one of NZ's best weightlifters and perhaps one of our most resiliant athletes. Injuries have stopped her from competing at the last two major events but now she is gearing up for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Katrina Rore has done it all and won it all on the netball court - ANZ Premiership, Suncorp Super Netball, Commonwealth Games Gold and a World Cup.But there's been lots of twists and turns in a career that spans more than 15 years.
Rebecca Rolls is a double international, playing more than 100 one-dayers for the White Ferns and earning 11 caps for the Football Ferns,. She won the cricket World Cup in 2000 and chats to Rikki Swannell about her double sporting life, her fascniating career off the field and the White Ferns chances at their home World Cup.
It would be fair to call Kelly Brazier a code-head. When it comes to Rugby Kelly has done it all from Fifteens to Sevens, all while paving the way for the next generation of female professional athletes. In this episode of Trailblazers Rikki sits down with the legend herself to discuss her amazing journey.
Andrea Nelson is CEO of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, being held in New Zealand in March. She talks to Rikki Swannell about her somewhat unlikely career in sports administration.
In the latest installment of SENZ Trailblazers Kirstie Stanway sits down with a Trailblazer in the truest sense of the word - the WNBA's Megan Compain.
Vinny Armstrong is a Kiwi Downhill Mountainbiker. In the latest installment of Trailblazers she sits down with Kirstie Stanway to talk about her career and the upcoming Crankworx Rotorua.
In the latest installment of SENZ Trailblazers, Kirstie Stanway has a wide ranging conversation with Olympic Race Walker Alana Barber, discussing the brilliant silver medal in 30 degree heat at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, dispelling some of the misconceptions about the sport and reflecting on a long and successful career.
A true trailblazer, Alexis Pritchard was New Zealand's first female Olympic boxer. She chats to Rikki Swannell about her career in and out of the ring, growing up in South Africa, her amazing mum...and an amusing story of how she started boxing in the first place.
Four time Olympian Luuka Jones talks to Rikki Swannell about her canoe slalom career. From an 18 year old with no funding and a lot of excess baggage to carry around the world to an Olympic silver medalist, Luuka's career has been full of fascniating, exciting but also sad moments.
Emma Twigg joins Rikki Swannell on the latest in our Trailblazers series to discuss what it takes to be an individual athlete, everything she's overcome in her career and of course that gold medal at Tokyo.
Emma Gilmour is a New Zealand rally driver, who was the first female to ever win a New Zealand Rally Championship event.
Annabel Anderson is a multiple world champion Stand Up Paddleboarder, the female athlete of the decade and held the number one world ranking from 2012-2018.
Kiwi Olympic and Hockey legend Kayla Whitelock has had a long and storied career. In this episode of Trailblazers Rikki Swannell to discuss overcoming injuries, missing out on Tokyo and whether she's done in the sport.
Honey Hireme-Smiler has done it all from Rugby Union to Rugby League to Sevens, all while paving the way for the next generation of female professional athletes. In this episode of Trailblazers Kirstie sits down with the legend herself to discuss her amazing journey.
Olympic hammer thrower Julia Ratcliffe optimises the word "overachiever". She's got a degree from Princeton University, works for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and also happens to be an Olympian. Hammer throw is certainly not a traditional Kiwi sport and she's got a great backstory on how she got into the sport.
A Trailblazer in the truest sense of the word, Portia Woodman is one of New Zealand's (and the world's) most iconic female rugby players. In this episode, she goes in-depth with Kirstie Stanway on whānau, her upbringing, a prolific career in netball, and how rugby led her another way. Portia gets honest about the heartbreak of Rio 2016, the vindication of Tokyo, and why family goes above everything else.
Former Silver Ferns stalwart and coach Yvonne Willering joins Trailblazers and chats to Rikki Swannell about her storied career and some tales from all the highs and lows of the Silver Ferns over the past 40 years.
Winter Olympics bronze medalist Zoi Sadowski-Synnott joins Trailblazers and chats to Rikki Swannell about her rapid journey to Olympic glory and what's ahead for the prolific youngster.
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine joins Trailblazers and chats to Rikki Swannell about her storied career and the challenges she's faced.