Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic absence, to cover the loss of young defender Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick. Several young players have been signed on with development contracts. The franchise is administered by Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic Franchise Ltd, formed in 1999 when the Waikato Wildcats and Bay of Plenty Magic merged. The franchise catchment area covers the two netballing regions of Waikato and the Bay of Plenty, and both Netball Waikato and Netball Bay of Plenty have two directors on the club's eight-member board. The regional netball bodies also report to Netball New Zealand, while the franchise reports to Trans Tasman Netball Ltd (TTNL), which oversees the
Bay of Plenty Steamers the 2001 NPC division 1 season with an upset win over the defending champions Wellington 14–11 in the Capital. Bay of Plenty would only win one more came that season defending Counties Manukau in Tauranga. They would play second division winners Hawkes Bay in a promotion/relegation match winning 32–12 in Rotorua. The 2002 season was a roller coaster ride for the Steamers, as they would only win one match beating Southland 24–11 in Tauranga. Again Bay of Plenty would play Hawke's Bay in a promotion/relegation match at the Rotorua International Stadium. Bay of Plenty won 37–21 to stay in the