Dame Noeline Taurua has spoken for the first time about her emotional reinstatement as Silver Ferns coach after her shock suspension rocked the netball community and team.
Taurua and her coaching staff were stood down in September by Netball New Zealand after some players raised concerns after a training camp in Sydney. But she was put back in her post ten days ago.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning on the first day she has spoken about the ordeal, Taurua said it was "hard to explain in words".
"Actually, when I was thinking about this yesterday, I end up bawling. But look, it's horrific, if I'm going to be honest, and something that I've never, over my 25 years, experienced. And once again, it's hard to find those words," she said.
Dame Noeline Taurua breaks silence on 'horrific' Silver Ferns coaching saga - watch on TVNZ+
She said support from her family, the netball community and the public had kept her going through the "isolating time".
"The thing that kept me going a lot was the support from, obviously our netball community, but also the general public.
"And when your situation [is] so out there and in public, you know that just kept me going, and I didn't feel so isolated."
Asked if she felt vindicated by the reinstatement, Taurua said there was "a long way to go".
"I'm back, so I've been reinstated, and it's something that I'm really proud about to be number 11 head coach, something I don't take lightly and I'm grateful."
She said it was important for people to "hear me, and I need to say what I need to say".
"Because it's been so public facing... I think it's really important for people to have different perspectives and to hear me and I need to say what I need to say. You know, everybody's been saying things on my behalf. So at the end, like, once again, I'm really happy to be back."
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including a stabbing attack in the UK is not a terror incident, Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua speaks for the first time since her stand down, and the King takes one more thing from his disgraced brother (Source: 1News)
Asked if she thought the process of being stood down was fair, Taurua said: "That's an interesting word."
"When I was stood down, that goes straight into legal. I had services, I suppose, and when you go through that process, it's up to them to talk lawyer to lawyer. My job is to talk my truth, to provide evidence, so to speak, and then they do the negotiation.
"So whether it was fair or not, that's, you know, you go through that process. But all I can say is I'm back. You know, it's reinstatement, and I'm back, and I was really happy."
She said she felt "100% support from the players and the team".
"I feel if I didn't have support or majority support from the team, I wouldn't be here. Like I would go, I would have gone right at the beginning. But I feel from day one, I do have that," she said.
PM 'pleased' by resolution
Speaking to Breakfast, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said: "The key thing is the issue has been resolved, which is fantastic.
"I think the more important thing we saw was a pretty competitive Silver Ferns team play the Australians in the Constellation Cup," he said.
"We're pleased the problem has been resolved, it’s an employment dispute, obviously that’s been sorted and - more important - it’s about getting that team competitive and winning."
SHARE ME