World class water polo: Georgia Milne on the international stage

Georgia, a member of the New Zealand women’s water polo team, helped them to a historic fourth-place finish.

“Top four for New Zealand in water polo is kind of unheard of,” she said.

“We beat Hungary in the quarter-finals, one of the best teams in the world, and that was the best game ever.”

The win over Hungary was described as a standout moment of the Games, with the team earning a standing ovation from fellow athletes when they returned to the village for dinner.

The team narrowly missed out on a medal after falling to Italy in the bronze medal match, but their fourth-place finish has secured them automatic qualification for the 2027 Games.

The games have been the highlight of Georgia’s career so far. 

“It was probably the coolest water polo experience I’ve had … definitely the highest level I’ve competed in, like a mini Olympics. Living with all the other countries and going to lunch with them was so cool.”

With 85 New Zealand athletes competing — three of them from Lincoln University — the Games brought together 8,500 student-athletes and officials from more than 150 countries. For Georgia and many others, the event is seen as a stepping stone towards the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

The team was only named a month before departure and had just one training weekend together, but Georgia said they clicked instantly, and that made the difference.

“That group of girls was honestly such a good bunch. We just got on so well and that’s why I think we did so well. We went into every game saying, let’s just have fun – and when we had fun, we played really well.”

Water polo has been part of her life since she was a teenager, switching from competitive swimming at 13 because, as she puts it, “swimming up and down just got a bit boring.” 

After growing up in Auckland, she moved to Christchurch in 2021 to keep playing competitively and is now studying for a Master of Sport and Recreation Management at Lincoln.

She hopes to make participation in sport more accessible through her studies. Currently, she volunteers for Hoa Motuhake Sports Trust, providing sports mentoring for tamariki in high-deprivation circumstances. 

She may pause her studies next year to focus on water polo, her sights set on competing in the Australian league in 2026 and joining a professional side in Europe.

Lincoln congratulates Georgia on her achievement, alongside fellow students Matthew O’Meara (rowing) and Kate Herman (3x3 basketball), who also represented New Zealand at the Games.