Silver Ferns players are reported to earn roughly NZ$50,000–NZ$80,000 a year from netball on average, with top players potentially reaching around NZ$130,000–NZ$135,000 once all income streams are combined. This is made up of a national-team retainer, test match fees, and domestic ANZ Premiership contracts, but pay is under pressure heading toward 2026.

What Silver Ferns actually earn

  • The Silver Ferns retainer is tiered, starting at about NZ$30,000 and going up to around NZ$56,000 per year.
  • Players are also paid match fees of about NZ$1,500 per test, with up to roughly 15 tests a year, which can add around NZ$22,500 in a busy international season.
  • On top of that, most Silver Ferns are contracted to ANZ Premiership teams, where retainers historically ranged from about NZ$26,000 to NZ$56,000, plus some extra franchise and third‑party payments.

Best‑paid Silver Ferns

For a top‑tier Fern who is:

  • On the highest Silver Ferns retainer
  • Playing a full test schedule
  • On a strong ANZ Premiership deal

Total annual earnings have been estimated at around NZ$135,000 in recent seasons. Officials have suggested this figure remains roughly similar under the latest collective agreement, although future broadcast money could change it.

How secure is that pay?

  • A recent deal protected elite netballers from immediate pay cuts, but it was only locked in short term, with uncertainty from 2026 as broadcast arrangements change.
  • Netball leaders have warned that without stronger commercial and TV income, some ANZ Premiership and Silver Ferns players may need secondary jobs to “make ends meet” from 2026.

In other words, being a Silver Fern is professional but not lavish: solid middle‑income money for most, with only a handful at the top approaching mid‑six‑figure NZD territory once every allowance and contract is maximised.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.