JENNY-MAY CLARKSON

A woman with short, wavy gray hair, wearing a yellow top and matching yellow pants, has moko kauae and wears dangling earrings. She stands against a neutral background, looking confidently at the camera.

Keynote Speaker · Panellist · MC

Jenny-May has worn many hats in her career. A former police officer, Jenny-May became a household name as a Silver Fern from 1997 to 2003. Her international netball career led her to netball commentary in 2003, launching her broadcasting career, and she is now beaming into people’s homes every weekday morning as a host of TVNZ’s Breakfast. She also worked as an assistant coach for the Northern Mystics and has shared her vast sports experience as a one-on-one life advisory role for young athletes at High Performance Sport NZ (HPSNZ).

Jenny-May released her first book, Full Circle, in 2025. The autobiography shares tales from her childhood in rural Piopio through to her successful sporting and television career, and dives deep into the tragedies and triumphs of her life so far. True to its name, the book is a tale of rediscovering self-confidence, reclaiming strength and identity, and her close family ties.

GET TO KNOW JENNY-MAY

  • Being dropped from the Silver Ferns.  It taught me that work and sport is what I do, it’s not who I am.

  • To be quite honest, fitting in exercise is very difficult!  I don’t have time to get in the car and drive somewhere to attend a class or attend sessions.  I am incredibly fortunate to have a maunga (mountain) behind our home which takes anywhere between 35-45 minutes to go up and down.  It’s got some 900 steps!  My aim is to do that 4 times a week – that’s my cardio and strength all in one and the best thing about it, I don’t have to drive to it!

  • I would be helping people or animals.  Since I was young I wanted to be a vet and later at college I wanted to be a police officer or teacher.  My heart is about helping.

  • I have a massive fear of heights!