Midcourt Gina Crampton has replaced pregnant Ameliaranne Ekenasio as Silver Ferns captain for the upcoming series against England and Australia.
Crampton, 29, becomes the 28th player to captain the national netball team and has amassed 47 caps, since debuting against Australia in 2016.
Her promotion to the top job represents a sweeping change to the Ferns leadership, with veteran defende Jane Watson also unavailable, after undergoing ankle surgery.
Defender Sulu Fitzpatrick, who led Northern Mystics to the ANZ Premiership title this year, will assume the position of vice-captain.
But coach Dame Noeline Taurua is adamant the pair are not 'caretakers' for their roles.
"Gina and Sulu will take full ownership and accountability in their roles, but will have that support from both Ameliaranne and Jane, who are still part of the leadership group and very much involved with the operations of the team," says Dame Noeline.
"[Crampton] is not afraid to drive others as to what is expected, and she upholds to the Silver Fern standards and values. Gina is a meticulous planner and her attention to detail is outstanding."
Captaincy - and leadership generally - has been an issue with the Ferns, since Taurua took the helm in 2018, after a disastrous Gold Coast Commonwealth Games campaign. The new coach lured veteran midcourt Laura Langman and defender Casey Kopua back from the wilderness to establish a strong team culture, with Ekenasio succeeding Langman as skipper last year.
With the depature of self-described 'fossils' Langman, Kopua and shooter Maria Folau, and the unavailability of former captain Katrina Rore (also on maternity leave), Dame Noeline has introduced a programme - headed by Langman - to bring the next wave of leaders through.
"We’ve come a long way in the last three or four years, and our values are so engrained in our day-to-day processes," says Crampton. "We are aiming to be PURE in everything we do.
"We work for and with each other, and are always striving for improvement of the collective.
"I think with this in mind and remembering all the great things that are happening with the Silver Ferns at the moment, it was actually easy to call Noels back a few days later and take up the huge honour."
New Zealand will host England for three tests in Christchurch, starting September 20, before defending the Constellation Cup against Australia from October 13.
Join us from September 20 for live updates of the Silver Ferns v England series
