Netball New Zealand are now keen to push that message further, having recognised Netball Australia's own eligibility criteria could be working against them.
Unlike the Silver Ferns, where residency or New Zealand parentage will suffice, to be eligible to play for the Diamonds players must be an Australian citizen. Given changes to Australia's immigration laws in 2001 made it more difficult for New Zealand expats and their children to obtain citizenship, there is potentially a pool of players in Australia ripe for the picking.
New Zealand coach Waimarama Taumaunu said the national body has highlighted the need to be more proactive in this area.
"It is just about recognising that there are some New Zealand players sitting in Australia that, because of immigration laws, are not ever going to be able to play for Australia and making sure that our franchises and zones understand that there could be some players sitting there that they are not aware of," said Taumaunu.
The recent defections of Australian-based players to New Zealand has seen some states tighten up their eligibility criteria to come in line with the national programme.
Taumaunu said this has left some young players unable to play representative netball as their states don't want to risk investing in a player's development if there is the potential for them to then head to New Zealand.
"I've already been invited to go over to Brisbane in February next year to coach some kids who on the back of Ameliaranne coming across here are thinking 'okay, maybe that is a better pathway for me' because they are struggling in terms of their own eligibility," she said.
"Our development plan is just recognising that there are players over there that the pathway is not as tidy as we might have thought. A few years ago it may well have been easy, they'd be straight in, but it's not so easy now. The states have changed rules over the last few years over who can represent states and who can't, so that does vary."
The strategy is unlikely to go down well across the Tasman, with Australian coach Lisa Alexander outspoken about Netball NZ's methods following Well's inclusion in the Silver Ferns programme this year.
"I think we just have to be a little bit smarter with our pathway and kind of the questions we ask," Alexander told the Age newspaper in Melbourne.
"Not that we're going to stop people being in our pathway just because of that; we just need to know so that we can mitigate the risks of the investment we put into athletes."
But Netball NZ chief executive Hilary Poole has stressed targeting Australian-based players with Kiwi heritage is only a small part of the talent development plan.
She said the first priority for the national body is to improve their high performance systems and development pathways ensure they are getting the most out of their home-grown talent.
Netball NZ's efforts to expand its national programme gathered speed yesterday with the announcement former Mystics assistant coach Kiri Wills will lead the new national development squad, encompassing the NZA and NZ under 21 teams.
Australian Kiwis
Larrissa Willcox
Born in Raetihi, Willcox came to the attention of New Zealand netball when she turned out for the West Coast Fever in the opening year of the transtasman league. With dual eligibility, she was able to link up with the Tactix the next year without carrying import status and was later selected in the Silver Ferns. She played four tests in 2009 before disappearing off the radar.
Courtney Tairi
A former Australian under-21 player, Sydney-born Tairi defected to New Zealand in 2012 after signing with the Southern Steel. A knee injury prevented Tairi, whose parents were born in New Zealand, from making her debut for the Ferns until last year. She played three tests but struggled to cement her place in the line-up and was dropped from the test side this year.
Ameliaranne Wells
The latest Australian-based player to make the move across the Tasman, Wells' Maori heritage came to light only after she signed with the Central Pulse for the 2015 season. Despite having not yet turned out for a New Zealand franchise, the Queenslander was invited into Silver Ferns trials in August and, with the Ferns struggling for depth in the shooting end, found herself wearing the black dress in last month's Constellation Cup series. Wells played three tests for New Zealand this year.
Malia Paseka
Shooter Malia Paseka was born in New Zealand, but spent most of her school years in Sydney. She was lured back in her final high school year and immediately placed in the New Zealand system. Paseka played a key role in the NZ under-21s World Youth Cup win in Glasgow last year.
