Tenika Willison

Tenika Willison (born 7 December 1997) is a New Zealand rugby sevens and rugby league player.^[2] She is currently contracted to the Newcastle Knights in the NRL Women's Premiership. She plays for Chiefs Manawa in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition. She also plays for the Black Ferns sevens internationally and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Tenika Willison

Born	(1997-12-07) 7 December 1997 (age 27) Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	69 kg (152 lb)
School	Hamilton Girls' High School
Notable relative(s)	Jackson Willison (cousin) Xavier Willison (cousin) Te Maire Martin (cousin) Taine Tuaupiki (cousin)
Rugby union career
Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 2015–2021 Waikato 20 (65) Super Rugby Years Team Apps (Points) 2023 Chiefs Manawa 9 (40) International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2023 New Zealand 2 (2) National sevens team Years Team Comps 2016–23 New Zealand 86 apps 10 tries 126 points[1]
Rugby league career
Playing information
Position	Wing
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2024– Newcastle Knights 19 6 0 0 24
As of 28 September 2025
Medal record Women's rugby sevens Representing  New Zealand Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo Team competition 2024 Paris Team competition Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 San Francisco Team competition 2022 Cape Town Team competition Commonwealth Games 2022 Birmingham Team competition

Rugby career

Rugby sevens

Willison debuted for the Black Ferns Sevens side in 2016.^[3] She competed for New Zealand in the women's sevens tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics where she won a gold medal.^[4][5]

Willison was named in the Black Ferns Sevens squad for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.^[6][7] She won a bronze medal at the event.^[8][9] She later competed in her second Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town and won a silver medal.^[10][11][12]

Fifteens

Willison was signed by Chiefs Manawa for the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season.^[4][5] She was selected in the Black Ferns fifteens 30-player squad to compete in the Pacific Four Series and O'Reilly Cup.^[3][13] She made her international debut against Australia on 29 June 2023 at Brisbane.^[14][15]

She returned to the Chiefs Manawa side for the 2025 Super Rugby Aupiki season.^[16][17]

Rugby League

In August 2024, Willison signed a 2-year contract with the Newcastle Knights in the NRL Women's Premiership competition, starting effective immediately.^[18]