Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua not told details of player concerns before being stood down

Dame Noeline Taurua has not been told of the specific concerns Silver Ferns players had about her leadership, which led to her being stood down as coach, the Herald understands.

Up to seven current or former Ferns have gone to the NZ Netball Players Association (NZNPA) this year about “feeling unsafe” in the environment and were assured anonymity.

A source told Newstalk ZB that Netball New Zealand eventually launched a review - but did not tell Taurua until June, after it was finished.

Taurua declined to comment when approached by Newstalk ZB.

The ongoing discussions are around ensuring the Ferns environment is safe, but it is understood that management remains unclear exactly why the athletes felt that way, or how it relates to Taurua.

The source also claimed some athletes struggle to fully articulate their emotions.

The NZNPA has also declined to comment.

The issues began during their camp in Sydney in January, during which they lost to Australian club sides, including the New South Wales Swifts.

The NZNPA brought the concerns to Netball New Zealand, which eventually launched an investigation - led by former New Zealand Cricket high performance chief Bryan Stronach - without telling Taurua or any of the Ferns management.

The World Cup-winning coach eventually found out in June, after the inquiry was complete. The rest of the New Zealand coaches and management were told in the past couple of weeks.

From there, discussions began between Taurua, Netball NZ, High Performance Sport NZ and NZNPA about making changes to the Silver Ferns environment.

The talks have not been resolved, leading to this month’s first camp being cancelled, with players running their own drills over the weekend. A second camp convened last week, and finished on Sunday.

Yvette McCausland-Durie was only asked to step in and lead the Silver Ferns at lunchtime last Wednesday, just hours before the announcement was made.

They host South Africa in the Taini Jamison series starting this Sunday.

McCausland-Durie told the Newstalk ZB she specifically asked not to be told what has happened between the players and Taurua.

“Because I don’t want to be clouded with the job. The job I was asked to do was to come in in the interim. So my piece has really been about being open to respect and hear where the players are at and then be really clear about maintaining the systems.”

McCausland-Durie said a major part of her first day has been working through the emotion for everybody involved.

Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the New Zealand Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates on rugby and netball for Gold Sport.