Outgoing Netball New Zealand board chair Matt Whineray has admitted regret about their handling of the Dame Noeline Taurua coaching saga.
Whineray and three other board members – Pavan Vyas, Stephen Cottrell and Aliesha Staples – have resigned their positions. All will stay on until suitable replacements have been found.
It comes two months after the resignation of Netball New Zealand (NNZ) chief executive Jennie Wyllie.
After standing down Taurua as Silver Ferns coach last year due to player complaints, NNZ refused to release any key details, citing legal issues.
The stalemate lasted two months before Taurua was reinstated. The information vacuum led to public speculation about why the world cup-winning coach had been stood down, with most of the vitriol levelled at the Silver Ferns players.
Whineray has been asked on Newstalk ZB whether he has any regrets about the saga.
“There are absolutely some lessons for us around communication and how we manage the balance between what we can say legally and what we need to say to keep the community up to date.
“You’ve got legal obligations under confidentiality agreements, you’ve got obligations under privacy law. Nature hates a vacuum, and it will just fill it with whatever it wants to. The vacuum gets filled by various voices, and oftentimes, you’re not in a position to be able to respond to that because of the various obligations that you’re under. And that’s been one of the challenges that we faced.
“There’s absolutely a lesson for us in terms of how we bring stakeholders along as well. And likewise in the high-performance space, we’re putting in place structures to make sure that that place can work for everybody, and we’re pleased with where we’re getting to there.”
Netball has been embroiled in controversy for much of the last year.
In October, six current and former NNZ staff spoke to the Herald with concerns about the organisation’s workplace culture and called for new leadership.
The sources – who wished to remain anonymous – described a challenging and secretive environment.
They called for an overhaul of the board to introduce greater accountability.
NNZ had also struggled to secure a new ANZ Premiership broadcast deal, a problem they will face again this year after penning only a one-year deal with TVNZ.
The turbulence led the Waikato Bay of Plenty region to call for a national special general meeting in December, where they could trigger a vote of no confidence in the board and Wyllie.
While the national SGM has not taken place, the saga culminated in the resignation of Wyllie on December 18.
Whineray is adamant he was not pressured to exit his role.
“As we’re in the process of recruiting a new CEO, it’s important for an incoming CEO to know who they’re working with. My nine years on the board comes up right at the start of next year, so by the time you get through that CEO process, I’m pretty much finished.
“So for me, it’s the right moment now to bring in a new chair who can be involved in the appointment of that CEO.
“My fellow board members have done their own reflection. They’ve had some changes in their own professional lives and have thought that now’s the right time to create some space, get some new perspectives, create some new momentum and energy to set the sport up for the future.”
Former New Zealand Olympic Committee chief executive Kereyn Smith has been brought in to help facilitate the process of appointing a new board chair and members.
Whineray said they will set up an appointments panel, likely including Smith, board member Sue Gordon and one other member.
“We are looking for any suggestions out of the netball community as to who they think might have the capability and credentials. We’re very happy to receive input from across the netball system into that process.”
Whineray is confident NNZ can restore its reputation and regain faith from its fans, players and administrators.
“Netball in Aotearoa has really deep roots. It’s been going for more than 100 years, got great participation, really passionate supporters, and we’ve heard a lot of that passion in the last six months.
“There’s opportunities for Netball New Zealand to do better and be better and connect into those critical stakeholders, and absolutely the sport will bounce back from this.”
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.