The life of New Zealand netball legend and trailblazer Taini Jamison will be celebrated tomorrow with a funeral service on the shores of Lake Rotorua at St Faith’s Anglican Church.

The former Silver Ferns coach, who led the team to their first world title at the 1967 Netball World Cup, died early on Friday morning, aged 97.

Netball Rotorua secretary Mary Thompson described Jamison as “an amazing lady” whose impact on the sport and on the lives of those who knew her was difficult to put into words.

“There is so much to remember,” Thompson told the Rotorua Daily Post.

Thompson said Jamison “ran a tight ship” as president of the club from 1981 to 2001.

“She was Netball Rotorua,” Thompson said.

“It was Taini who pushed to make sure we got netball courts that were worthy of netball.

“She had a strong character and a very good sense of humour. She liked fun but she liked things done the right way.”

Mary Thompson (right) with Taini Jamison (centre) and Diane Yorke cheer on the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic netball team in 2010. Photo / Ben Fraser

Thompson said that even after her term as president, Jamison came to games every Saturday, helped with coaching and assisted in team selections.

When Jamison’s health began to deteriorate, she continued to avidly watch netball on television and never missed a game of her favourite team: Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic.

Thompson said she would miss Jamison’s friendship.

“We’ve known each other for about 50 years.

“We travelled throughout New Zealand and overseas together. I’m going to miss all the times I’ve had with her to talk about netball, doing post-mortems on the games and picking teams.”

Netball New Zealand chief executive Jennie Wyllie told Newstalk ZB Jamison was “a woman who was full of sparkle and mischievousness, but such an icon of our game”.

“On behalf of Netball New Zealand, we’d really want to acknowledge such a sad loss,” Wyllie said.

“She was a trailblazer in so many ways. Being the first Māori coach of our Silver Ferns was a fantastic achievement; to take them through to a Netball World Cup win as coach and a subsequent silver [in 1971]. She had such a great success rate and was loved by so many in our community.

“She had a strong desire to give back to the game and she did that for her entire life. And we were all beneficiaries of it. There are so many people in our game that have been touched by her, predominantly through her coaching, but her service, particularly in the Rotorua area, has just been phenomenal.”

Taini Jamison (centre) pictured with the Silver Ferns squad in September 2016. Photo / Ben Fraser

Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua, who had a close relationship with Jamison, told Newstalk ZB she was a pioneer and “one of the matriarchs of netball”.

“[She’s] definitely a person who has shared all of her knowledge throughout her life,” Taurua said.

“I always say once a coach, always a coach. When you walk in the room, she’s very clear about what she wants and how she wants to play the game. Her words are very articulate, so it’s quite an interesting space.

“We know her very well in Magic country - Waikato, Bay of Plenty. When I was playing, she was the victorious coach of Rotorua at that time. They were in the nationals and they were competing against Auckland and all these bigwigs.

“I have fond memories of being a player, and also a coach and also a friend of hers.”

Netball legend Taini Jamison in 2008. Photo / Kelvin Teixeira

Taurua said Jamison will be remembered for “her manner, her approach, her wisdom, her openness to share and the love that she had for our game”.

Jamison was a “dearly loved wife to Thomas Edric Jamison, mother to Tom and Marie, nan to Ben and Elaine, Victoria and taua to Piper”, read an obituary in the Dominion Post.

“A very passionate, motivated lady that will be missed by all that knew her.”

Jamison is the most successful coach in Silver Ferns history, with 18 wins in 20 tests (90 per cent win percentage) from 1967 to 1971.

The Taini Jamison trophy, which is contested between the Silver Ferns and visiting international teams other than Australia, is named in her honour.

In the 1994 New Year Honours, Jamison was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to netball.

She was inducted into the Māori Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and was made a life member of Netball New Zealand in 2010.

• Jamison’s funeral service will be held at St Faith’s Anglican Church, Ohinemutu at 11am. It will be followed by burial at the Rotorua Cemetery, Sala St.