Born in Australia to New Zealand parents, Courtney Tairi came through the Australian system and spent three seasons with the NSW Swifts (2009-11) in the ANZ Championship before opting to ply her trade on this side of the Tasman.

The move paid off handsomely for the former Australian U21 representative after she was named in the Silver Ferns team for the five-Test Constellation Cup against Australia followed by a three-Test Series against Malawi in 2013. She made her Silver Ferns debut in the first Test against Australia.

A talented midcourter, who adds plenty of variety on attack, Tairi has a calm head under pressure while the added bonus of her height in the engine room has proved a useful asset, both on attack and defence.

A solid 2014 campaign with Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic and a strong Silver Ferns trial resulted in re-selection in the 2014-15 Silver Ferns squad.

Having a great feel for time and space, Tairi was looking to add the polish in 2015 but suffered a major blow when rupturing her achilles tendon early on which ruled her out for the season.