Eleven women from across the Pacific arrived in Papua New Guinea this week for the 2025-26 Pacific Women Leaders in Tennis program.
The leadership program is part of Tennis Australia's Pacific Women and Girls in Tennis - Emerging on to the World Stage program. Supported by the Australian Government's elite sports pathways program, PacificAusSports, the program aims to support and empower Pacific women to take up leadership positions both on and off the court through professional development and networking opportunities.
Now in its fourth year, this year’s participants were women from eight Pacific nations – Fiji, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
This is the first time Papua New Guinea has hosted the regional leadership workshop, providing an opportunity to showcase the significance of women’s leadership in PNG through tennis.
The 2025 Participants are:
- Neilani Ackley – Marshall Islands
- Marlaina Aroi – Nauru
- Kim Carruthers – Samoa
- Sandra Constantine – Solomon Islands
- Lile Huni – Tonga
- Amanda Korinihona – Solomon Islands
- Hari Levo – Papua New Guinea
- Naomi Sipiti – Vanuatu
- Ana Tong-Thaggard – Fiji
- Adelaide Senior – Papua New Guinea
- Abigail Tere-Apisah – Papua New Guinea
This year’s program commenced with a series of workshops on 14 and 15 October, focusing on topics including stakeholder engagement, goal setting and public speaking.
Participants also attended a networking event at the Port Moresby Racquets Club, where they had the chance to interact further and meet with the Papua New Guinea tennis community.
This year’s program was facilitated by Head of Women and Girls at Tennis Australia Andrea Buckeridge and President of PNG Tennis and Oceania Tennis Federation Board Member Barbara Stubbings. Barbara was part of the first cohort of the Pacific Women Leaders in Tennis program, graduating in 2023.
The program will conclude in January 2026, when participants will travel to Melbourne for their final workshops and the program graduation, which will be held during the Australian Open.
“Women's leadership is one of the key pillars of the Pacific Women and Girls in Tennis program, alongside talent, coaching, and officiating. With the upcoming Australian Open in 2026, 40 inspiring women from 12 Pacific countries will have participated in this transformative initiative.”
“Each one brings strength, purpose, and a commitment to uplifting their communities, demonstrating how tennis can be a powerful platform for leadership and positive change across the Pacific,” Head of International Engagement at Tennis Australia, Isabelle Gemmel said.
“This partnership between the Australian Government, Tennis Australia, and Oceania Tennis Federation is creating lasting change across our region. Barbara Stubbings' journey from participant to program facilitator shows what's possible when we invest in Pacific women leaders. These eleven women join a growing network that will strengthen tennis administration and community development across the Pacific for years to come,” President of Oceania Tennis Federation, Vicki Reid said.
“It is exciting to see the approaches taken by the Pacific Women Leaders in Tennis Initiative to promote women’s empowerment and leadership capabilities in the Pacific. We thank Tennis Australia for their partnership and PNG Tennis for hosting this initiative in PNG’s 50th year of independence.”
“It is wonderful to see PNG showcasing the incredible talent in PNG Tennis to the rest of the Pacific and deepening connections through our shared passion for sport,” Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea and Special Envoy for the Pacific and Regional Affairs Ewen McDonald said.