Meanwhile, everyone else is trying not to look, wondering why we cannot get a grip.
Some key questions remain.
High drama
Are there changes to the Silver Ferns’ high-performance programme or not?
There is a clear disparity between what Taurua and Netball New Zealand are each telling the public.
When Taurua was reinstated as coach on October 25, Netball New Zealand’s statement said: “Netball NZ and Dame Noeline will work in partnership to embed the agreed changes and to focus fully on the future – including preparations for the next pinnacle event, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July 2026.″
Netball New Zealand CEO Jennie Wyllie and board chair Matt Whineray then reaffirmed this when speaking to the Herald, but refused to confirm any specific changes.
On Monday, Taurua claimed the opposite.
“What I am clear on is that Netball New Zealand has the right to make changes, or they have the right to contract people within the environment.
“But I haven’t agreed on any changes at all.”
A few hours later, Netball New Zealand sent a statement to the producer of Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis Allan Drive on behalf of Taurua, which ended like this:
“My focus now is on putting in place the agreed changes we need to strengthen the Silver Ferns high-performance environment and get back to doing what I love – coaching.”
According to the statement, Taurua said she has agreed to changes, contradicting what she had been telling the media all day.
Why the confusion?
If Taurua’s initial claim – that she has not agreed to any changes – is true, it begs the question: what exactly were they talking about for two months while Taurua was stood down?
If a coach is suspended, surely they need to be cleared of any allegations before they return.
Either that, or the allegations – whatever they were – would need to be dropped.
But Taurua claims there was no investigation after she was stood down and all the talk done through lawyers was about getting her back as coach.
“I was talking about survival and reinstatement. That’s really where I was. Every day was getting my job back and speaking my truth.”
On Monday, Taurua also said she has not spoken to Wyllie about the high-performance environment.
The Herald understands several current and former Silver Ferns are unhappy with Taurua’s claim that she is unaware of what the players had complained about.
If no high-performance changes have been agreed to and Taurua returns as head coach, it stands to reason that the players’ concerns have not been addressed.
In which case, what exactly was the point of all this?
It seems nothing has been achieved since Taurua was stood down, other than her reinstatement.
Taurua has been publicly humiliated, the players have been relentlessly slagged off, the fans are angry and Netball New Zealand’s reputation is in tatters.
For what?
Common goal: Can Taurua lead Ferns to Games gold?
There must be doubt about Taurua’s ability to unite the Silver Ferns under her leadership, given the turmoil.
The 2019 World Cup winner told the Herald she intends to keep her coaching team, featuring assistant Deb Fuller and New South Wales Swifts coach Briony Akle.
If all coaching personnel remain, no changes are implemented and the players remain aggrieved, why would the entire group come together and sing Kumbaya?
What makes matters worse is Taurua’s statement to Sport Nation that – as things stand – she will only rejoin the team a week out from the Commonwealth Games in July.
Netball New Zealand has since clarified to the Herald that it is in negotiations to organise something for January, when the Ferns would usually have tests or a camp.
However, it is already November. The notion of a major national sports team scrambling to sort its schedule two months in advance does not inspire confidence.
As things stand, the idea of Taurua having only a week with the Ferns before a pinnacle event, more than eight months from now, is laughable.
At the very least, the Ferns need a camp in January to clear the air and sort things out. Preferably, they would have a three-test series to get back into the flow of working together under Taurua, given she will not be attending the Northern Tour, which starts on Monday morning against Scotland.
There are no more scheduled tests between the end of the tour and the start of next year’s Commonwealth Games, meaning Taurua will go almost two years without taking charge of a Silver Ferns match.
Seems familiar
Netball New Zealand’s handling of this saga is reminiscent of the broadcast deal drama from earlier this year.
The announcement of Taurua’s return was misleading, as while she is technically the head coach, she will not actually return until next year.
Netball New Zealand claims to have agreed to changes, but Wyllie told the Herald they will determine the changes by Christmas.
In May, the governing body announced a six-team ANZ Premiership for next year. They claimed to players, coaches, staff and the public that the competition’s future was secure.
However, there was no broadcast deal. The contract that upholds the pay model and ensures players, coaches and staff can actually make a living had yet to be negotiated – not to mention that a broadcast deal ensures the platform through which fans can actually watch the games.
Their downgraded, one-year deal with TVNZ wasn’t confirmed until late July.
In other words, the ANZ Premiership’s future wasn’t actually secured until nearly three months after the declaration.
Netball New Zealand is forming a habit of making announcements about things it has not actually achieved yet.
In reality, with both the ANZ Premiership broadcast deal and the return of Taurua as Silver Ferns coach with agreed high-performance changes, they were apparently in the process of achieving both things at the point of announcing them.
We can only imagine how frustrating this must be for players, coaches and staff whose livelihoods depend on the sport’s functionality.
Next steps
This saga is going to drag on. I have no faith that we are anywhere close to a resolution. In my opinion, Taurua and Netball New Zealand remain at odds and the players remain upset.
One thing is for sure, if the Silver Ferns win Commonwealth Games gold under Taurua next year, it will be one of the most remarkable turnarounds we have seen in New Zealand sport.
Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.
