Madeleine Chapman | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Chapman in 2021 | |
| Born | (1994-03-16)16 March 1994 (age 31)[1] Wellington, New Zealand[2] |
| Occupations | Editor, author, journalist, cricketer, javelin thrower |
| Organisation(s) | The Spinoff,North & South |
| Sports career | |
Event | Javelin throw |
| Sports achievements and titles | |
| National finals | Javelin champion (2013, 2017) |
| Personalbest | 50.98 m (2017) |
| Cricket career | |
| Cricket information | |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right-armmedium[3] |
| Role | Batter |
| International information | |
| National side |
|
| Domestic team information | |
| Years | Team |
| 2010/11–2012/13 | Wellington Blaze |
Madeleine Elsie Chapman (born 16 March 1994)[2] is a New Zealand editor, journalist and author. She is the former editor ofThe Spinoff andNorth & South and co-wrote the autobiography of New Zealand professionalbasketball playerSteven Adams and a biography of the formerPrime Minister of New Zealand,Jacinda Ardern.
Chapman is a former athlete, competing as a member of theSamoa women's national cricket team and as a New Zealand domestic championjavelin thrower.[4]
Chapman grew up in theWellington Region.[5] Her father was born and raised inLincoln, Nebraska, while her mother grew up onUpolu inSamoa.[6] Chapman hasTuvaluan heritage through her maternal grandfather, andChinese heritage through her great-grandfather.[6] Chapman has nine siblings, and was an avid reader as a child.[6][7]
Chapman received a scholarship to attendSamuel Marsden Collegiate School inWellington, where she competed in basketball, athletics and cricket events.[7][8][9] In 2011 she won the Norwood Award for Outstanding Girls Under 20 player of the year,[10] and was also named the College Sport Wellington women's Cricket Player of the Year.[11]
From 2010 to 2013, Chapman played cricket professionally for theWellington Blaze.[12][13][14][2] In 2012, Chapman joined theSamoa women's national cricket team, playing seven rounds in the 2012 Pepsi ICC East Asia Pacific Women's Trophy and topping the batting leader board for the competition.[15][16] Chapman continued to compete for Samoa until 2014.[17]
RepresentingAuckland-based North Harbour Bays Athletics, Chapman first competed in New Zealand athletics competitions as ajavelin thrower in 2013.[1][18] She attended theNew Zealand Athletics Championships in 2013, winning two gold medals for the javelin throw.[1] In 2014, Chapman quit athletics due to an injury.[19]
Chapman returned to athletics competitions in late 2016 and 2017.[1] At the Porritt Classic in 2017, Chapman was the champion women's javelin thrower (49.18 m).[20] At the 2017 New Zealand national championships, Chapman won a gold medal with a career-best javelin throw of 50.98 metres,[1] outcompeting national championTori Peeters at the competition.[21] As of 2022, this ranks Chapman fourth in the list of record holders for New Zealand Women's javelin throw.[22]
Chapman received a scholarship to attend theUniversity of Auckland, where she studied education.[6][7] While at university, Chapman wrote as a film critic forCraccum, theAuckland University Students' Association magazine.[23][24]
In 2016, Chapman became a staff writer for online magazineThe Spinoff,[7] beginning as an intern.[25] In the same year, Chapman was asked to ghostwrite New Zealand professional basketball playerSteven Adams' autobiography, which was published in 2018.[26] Chapman had known Adams since childhood, as both had played in Wellington regional high school basketball competitions.[26]
While atThe Spinoff, Chapman appeared onThree infotainment television programmeThe Spinoff TV (2018),[6] and has written and directedScratched: Aotearoa's Lost Sporting Legends (2019 onwards), anNZ On Air-funded documentary webseries.[27] In 2018, Chapman won the Young Business Journalist of the Year award at the New Zealand Shareholders' Association's 2018 Business Journalism Awards,[28] and the best opinion writer (humour/satire) award at the2019 Voyager Media Awards.[29] Some of Chapman's best-known works include pieces on housing unaffordability,[30]sleep inertia aiding lamps,[31] and ranking lists of snack foods such as biscuits and lollies.[32] Her 2018 article exposing false country of origin practices byDenise L'Estrange-Corbet's fashion label World won the award for best (single) news story / scoop at the 2019 Voyager Media Awards.[33]
Chapman leftThe Spinoff as a writer in early 2020, taking a break from journalism.[25] During the same year, Chapman releasedA New Kind of Leader, a biography ofNew Zealand Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern she was commissioned to write in 2019.[34][35] When print magazineNorth & South was relaunched in late 2020, Chapman became the publication's senior editor.[36] In late 2021, Chapman became the co-editor ofThe Spinoff, alongside long timeSpinoff staff writer Alex Casey.[37][38] She stepped down as editor in late 2025,[39] and was replaced by Veronica Schmidt.[40]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | New Zealand Athletics Championships - Senior Women | Auckland, New Zealand | 1st | 47.63 m |
| 2013 | New Zealand Athletics Championships – Women Under 20 | Auckland, New Zealand | 1st | 45.89 m |
| 2017 | New Zealand Athletics Championships – Open Women | Hamilton, New Zealand | 1st | 50.98 m |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
