Kelsey Teneti

Kelsey Teneti (born 12 May 2003) is a contracted New Zealand rugby sevens and rugby union player. She plays primarily as a centre and represents New Zealand in both the fifteens and sevens formats of the game.

Early life Teneti was born on 12 May 2003 to Louise (nee Lexmond)and Kelvin Teneti. Her grandfather, Whetu Teneti, played rugby for East Coast in 1971 and 1973, while father played rugby for Poverty Bay in 1985 and 1988. Her mother played hockey for Poverty Bay.

Teneti was also the national judo champion in 2013 in both the +36 kg and Open Junior Girls categories.

Rugby career Teneti was introduced to rugby by former New Zealand representative Trish Hina, who started an academy at Lytton High School in Gisborne.

She continued playing rugby while attending Hamilton Girls' High School, during which she played for Waikato in the Farah Palmer Cup in 2020 and 2021.

In 2021, she was named in the Chiefs Manawa squad for their historic match against the Blues at Eden Park in April.

That same year, Teneti received several accolades, including the Waitomo Chiefs Rookie of the Year, Waikato Supporters Club Farah Palmer Cup Back of the Year, and the Waitomo Group Farah Palmer Cup Player of the Year. She was also nominated for the NZRPA Women’s Young Player of the Year award in 2021.

In 2022, Teneti was contracted to the Black Ferns Sevens straight out of high school at the age of 18, and she made her debut at the Dubai round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in December 2022.

In 2023, Teneti was named in the Black Ferns squad for the 2023 Pacific Four Series and the Laurie O'Reilly Cup. In July, she scored a try in the Black Ferns’ 52–21 victory over Canada at the Pacific Four Series in Ottawa.

In May 2025, she helped the Black Ferns 7s win the Sevens World Championship title in Los Angeles.