Rob Walter becomes New Zealand head coach after Gary Stead's exit

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has roped in the former South Africa National Cricket Team white-ball coach, Rob Walter, as the new all-format head coach of the New Zealand National Cricket Team.

Walter's contract will start in mid-June and will run through to the conclusion of the ICC T20 World Cup 2028, meaning he has signed a three-year deal.

Rob Walter quit his South Africa job abruptly

Walter was serving as the head coach of the Proteas team from January 2023 before abruptly stepping down from the role in April 2025.

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Rob Walter had 2-plus years left in his contract when he stepped down, and to deal with his absence, CSA decided to hand over all-format duties to Shukri Conrad, who had signed a red-ball coaching deal.

Since his departure from Cricket South Africa, Rob Walter was one of the hot favorites to replace Gary Stead as New Zealand's head coach, having successfully led the South African team to the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy as well as the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Walter, who lives in Hawke’s Bay with his family, is not new to coaching the BlackCaps, as he had earlier coached the New Zealand A squad in India in 2022.

It’s an amazing opportunity - Rob Walter

Speaking about taking over the top job at NZC, Walter said that he is privileged to be appointed as the head coach of the New Zealand National Cricket Team and expressed excitement over working with the talented bunch of players. In a statement released by NZC, he said:

“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.”

Rob Walter will be in charge of the BlackCaps in the new cycle of the ICC World Test Championship, the 2028 LA Olympics, the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, and the ICC T20 World Cup 2028.

Rob is a world-class coach - Scott Weenink

NZC chief executive Scott Weenink was absolutely delighted to have Walter on board and called him a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree. He said:

“Rob is a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree,” said Weenink. "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.”

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