Rob Walter replaces Gary Stead as New Zealand head coach

Former South Africa white-ball coach Rob Walter has been appointed as the new head coach of the New Zealand men's team across all formats. The 49-year-old has signed a three-year contract and will officially take responsibility in mid-June, replacing Gary Stead, who has served as head coach since 2018. Walter’s first assignment will be New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe in July.

Notably, Stead had a successful stint with the Black Caps, including guiding them to the inaugural World Test Championship title in 2021. However, after Stead stepped down from the white-ball roles earlier this year and with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) opting for a new coaching approach, it made way for a new face to take on the responsibilities. Meanwhile, Walter has immense experience in both domestic and international cricket, and was the top candidate.

Despite coaching South Africa’s white-ball teams over the past two years, leading them to the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-finals, the 2024 T20 World Cup final, and the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-finals, Walter remained in New Zealand, specifically Hawke’s Bay, where his family resides. His ties with New Zealand’s domestic cricket, including successful stints at Otago Volts and Central Stags, strengthened his case for selection.

"The Blackcaps have been a successful and highly-regarded team on the world scene for some time now and it's a real privilege to be given the chance to add to that. It's an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and support staff through a period of time in which so many global events, as well as massive bilateral series, will be contested. I just can't wait to get started. It's exciting, it's challenging, and the opportunity is enormous for everyone," Walter said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

At the domestic level in New Zealand, he guided Central Stags to the Ford Trophy and Plunket Shield titles in 2022-23 and took Otago to the Super Smash playoffs in 2019-20. Later on the international stage, he helped South Africa become one of the consistent teams in recent ICC tournaments. He has also coached New Zealand A and held assistant roles in the IPL with Pune Warriors and Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals).

NZC chief executive Scott Weenink opened up about the appointment.

"Rob is a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree. His success in New Zealand's domestic game, combined with his recent achievements on the global stage with South Africa, makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Blackcaps. We're excited to welcome Rob back home to guide our team through an exciting and challenging period, including three major ICC events," said Weenink.