Aotearoa’s netball zones are mobilising action to revolt against Netball New Zealand’s leadership.
The Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone has declared its intention for Netball New Zealand (NNZ) chief executive Jennie Wyllie and the board to be replaced.
The Herald understands three more NNZ staff have resigned in the past few weeks, bringing the total to 25 staff departures in two years.
For a vote of no confidence to take place, three of New Zealand’s five netball zones must call for a Special General Meeting.
The Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone has called its own Special General Meeting on Sunday to formalise becoming one of those three.
Tauranga Netball Centre board chair Nicola Compton told the Herald her board was hopeful other zones would follow suit.
“We’ve had some informal conversations, and we do know that one other zone is quite keen, but they’re kind of sitting back waiting to see what happens with us, because we’ve taken the step.”
Once NNZ receives formal notice of the request for a Special General Meeting, it is required to action it with 21 days’ notice.
If two other zones joined the call, Compton said the national meeting would likely take place in the New Year.
The board chair said her board has no faith in Wyllie or the NNZ board to lead the sport forward with sufficient strategic vision.
In response, NNZ said its netball community is “robust and passionate”.
“We’re always going to listen to and engage with those who speak openly and honestly – kanohi te kanohi [face to face].
“The beauty of the netball constitutional structure at all levels (NNZ, zones and centres) is that there are ways, both formal and informal, for the netball community to raise issues that are of concern to them – we will, and do, engage with our community through those channels and listen to their concerns.”
Compton said there are three key areas of concern, starting with the ANZ Premiership.
“This is the pinnacle domestic netball competition and critical development pathway for Silver Ferns, and there just seems to be a lack of planning or at least an absence of communication about any planning about what’s happening with that.”
Athletes, coaches and staff were left in the dark over the competition’s future, with the new, one-year television broadcast deal with TVNZ only confirmed in late July.
Wyllie confirmed to the Herald at the time NNZ will have to use cash reserves to make ends meet.
Compton said her region has not received any information from the governing body about the deal.
The final major concern is the standing-down of Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua and the handling of that process through the media.
“We just felt it demonstrated a lack of leadership. There was an absence of transparency or due process. There was no consistent communication and we just feel like that’s really harmed the sport both reputationally and financially. There should have been decisive and competent leadership, and we didn’t see that,” Compton said.
“Noeline Taurua should have been part of the review process. And from what we’re hearing, it sounds like she wasn’t. If you’re going to hide behind ‘it’s an employment issue’, and any employment issue, if there’s a concern raised, the person that it’s been raised about has the right of reply, and I don’t believe that happened.
“It should have been communicated. Noeline’s the type of person that would own it if there’s something going on. I think that could have been handled a whole lot better.”
Compton said NNZ needed to be more transparent and communicate with its stakeholders.
“It just feels like a lot of stuff is done behind closed doors and then we hear about it after. We don’t feel like we get the full picture. Particularly, those last incidents, it was just like there was silence. Of course, people are going to speculate and there were a lot of keyboard warriors out there.
“Some of it was pretty nasty, but without any kind of concrete direction or communication from Netball New Zealand, that’s what’s going to happen.”
Compton said her region’s concern was with Wyllie and NNZ’s board, but the rest of the leadership seemed okay.
“The other people that we interact with – the head of community netball, umpiring and coaching – they all seem like those at the community level are fine.”
Last month, six current and former NNZ staff spoke to the Herald with concerns about the organisation’s workplace culture, and called for an overhaul of the board.
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.
Compton said the report was worrying.
“If the staff are talking about a toxic kind of environment or an environment of fear, that comes from the top, and that is not a great way to lead an organisation. You’re not going to get the best out of people if they’re too scared to say what they think.”
Compton said all five netball zones should be involved in the process to elect new leadership.
“Whether there’s a representative from each of those zones, along with other senior leaders within Netball New Zealand, should be part of that process.
“We’re the stakeholders. There is no Netball New Zealand without us.”
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.