IWI: Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngati Pukeko, Te Arawa

MARAE: Ngahina (Ruatoki), Pukeko (Poroporo), Tarukenga (Rotorua)

BIRTHPLACE: Papakura, 3 November 1995

Stacey Fluhler (nee Waaka)

RUGBY, RUGBY SEVENS, RUGBY LEAGUE, TOUCH RUGBY 

Stacey Jamie Aroha Kirsten Waaka was born on 3 November 1995 in Papakura, New Zealand to Simon Waaka and Raewyn (née Allen) She has three older siblings, Shannon, Bronson and Beaudein and spent sometime traveling as her parents moved the family back and forth between Australia and Aotearoa several times.
When she was one years old the family moved back to Australia, and lived in Melbourne for eight years. One Christmas, she and her brother Beaudein spent time with their grandmother Kiri Henry on the farm and didn't want to leave. As a result, her parents decided to move back permanently in 2005 to farm in Ruatoki in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
Times were tough back then as the whanau moved back to dads homestead where 11 whanau members resided in a 3 bedroom home.
Her father had 17 siblings, and as a result Waaka has more than 70 first cousins, many of them resident in the area around Ruatoki. Her father played rugby (representing Victoria Australia v the All Blacks in 1992, while her mother and sister mostly played netball, athletics, gymnastics, and tennis.
Staceys brothers have also played touch and rugby for New Zealand.
Beaudein has represented New Zealand via the Touch Blacks, NZ Schools and the Allblack 7s, while playing provincial rugby for Taranaki, Poverty Bay, Waikato and Manawatu. Beaudein has also played 3 seasons in the MLR for the Freejacks in the USA where he was the leagues MVP for 2022 season. Beaudein has also played for Kobe Steelers and currently playing his rugby for Mazda in Japan.
Bronson has played for NZ Universities and the Touch Blacks at the 2024 Touch World Cup.
In 2017 Stacey graduated from the University of Waikato in the Bachelor of Sport and Leisure Studies with a major in Sport Management.
ACHIEVEMENTS

RUGBY
Bay of Plenty Womens Rugby Team
Waikato Women’s Rugby Team
Chiefs Manawa Rugby Team
Women's Rugby World Cup
2017 Ireland, Gold – Team competition
2021 New Zealand, Gold – Team competition

Rugby Sevens
Rugby World Cup Sevens
2018 San Francisco, Gold - Team competition
2022 Cape Town, Silver - Team competition

Olympic Games
2020 Tokyo, Japan, Gold – Team competition
2024 Paris, France, Gold – Team competition

Commonwealth Games
2018 Gold COAST, Gold – Team competition
2022 Birmingham, Bronze - Team competition
Touch Rugby
2010 NZ U18 Womens Touch - Gold
AWARDS and HONOURS:
2015 Awarded the Junior Māori Sportswomen of the Year Award ‘Te Tamāhine-ā-Papatūānuku’
2019 Because of the courage she had shown during a bus crash in 2011 Waaka was selected in 2019 by World Rugby to be a member of The Unstoppables XV. This was a team of women who've overcome barriers to participate in rugby. It was part of the year long initiative to boost the profile of the women's game globally.
2022 At the World Rugby Sevens Series Awards Waaka won the impact player award, the top try scorer awards and was selected as a member of that year's women's dream team.
2023 At the World Rugby Sevens Series Awards Waaka was named as a member of the Women's dream team.