Onehunga High School is proud to welcome back Sarah Michelle Hansen-Vaeau who is bringing international playing experience, proven coaching success, and strong community values to lead our Year 9A team and Netball Academy.

Onehunga High School is delighted to welcome a new netball coach Sarah Michelle Hansen-Vaeau to our sporting community, who will be leading the Year 9A team and overseeing the Netball Academy. An OHS alumna, she brings with her an outstanding depth of experience, having played netball internationally for more than 15 years and coached for over 20 years. Most recently, she has enjoyed significant success with McAuley High School and Moana Pasifika Netball, where participation and performance flourished under her leadership. 

Her coaching philosophy is grounded in building strong, inclusive culture and supporting student athletes through a holistic approach that values personal growth alongside athletic development. Throughout her coaching career, she has consistently delivered impressive results at the highest secondary school levels. As McAuley Premier coach from 2015–2019, she helped grow netball participation from 10% to 40%, while achieving multiple Upper North Island titles across D, C, and B grades and a top‑16 national A‑grade finish. 

Previous roles at Avondale College and Auckland Girls’ Grammar also saw teams reach Upper North Island finals and place fifth nationally. Alongside her coaching credentials, she brings strong youth and community leadership experience through her work with Outline Aotearoa and InsideOUT Aotearoa. Guided by the values of manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga, whakawhanaungatanga, kotahitanga and whānau, she is excited to return home to OHS and help unlock the full potential of netball talent across the school.