Rita Taimalietane Fatialofa-Patolo (née Fatialofa, born 1963) is a Samoan sportsperson who played netball and softball for New Zealand.[1]
Fatialofa-Patolo attended Lynfield College in Auckland.[2]
She played for the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, from 1982 to 1989. While able to play the shooting circle, her specialised position was wing-attack. She retired after the 1989 World Games where New Zealand defeated Australia in the final. Fatialofa-Patolo later coached the Samoan national netball team at the 1991 and 1995 Netball World Championships.[3] In 1999, she was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame,[4] and was also included in Netball New Zealand's all-time Dream Team.[5] In softball, she was a member of the team that won the 1982 ISF World Championship in Taipei, defeating the host nation in the final.
In the 2014 New Year Honours, Fatialofa-Patolo was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport.[6]