After 51 bruising days, Dame Noeline Taurua was reinstated as Silver Ferns coach and the sport appeared to move on. Yet the uneasy truce that brought her back is already under strain, with fresh legal exchanges and lingering mistrust hinting that the deeper issues inside New Zealand netball are far from resolved. RNZ's Dana Johannsen reports.
The air inside the High Performance Sport NZ boardroom was heavy with fatigue and frustration.
It had been a tense and at times combative meeting but, as talks between officials and Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua stretched towards evening, there was finally a sense progress was being made.
Around the table were Silver Ferns management, Netball NZ top brass, High Performance Sport NZ officials, player representatives, and a smattering of lawyers.
Somewhere in the middle hung the future of the Silver Ferns programme.
Taurua and her coaching team were supposed to be in camp with the squad preparing for the Taini Jamison series against South Africa – the first in a busy 2025 international season for the Ferns. But, an escalating dispute behind closed doors forced the camp to be pushed back two days while the parties convened for a crisis meeting.
Months earlier, a group of up to seven players had raised concerns about the team environment, prompting Netball NZ to commission a "cultural review". But Taurua and her coaching team of Debbie Fuller and Briony Akle pushed back, forcefully rejecting the findings and the process of the review.
Now, with the international season bearing down upon them, an urgent resolution was sought.
So, on September 5, the parties gathered at High Performance Sport NZ's headquarters on Auckland's North Shore to hash out the issues.
According to sources on both sides of the divide, by late afternoon there seemed to be consensus around the table on the changes to be implemented.
It was agreed that former All Blacks team manager Darren Shand and Silver Ferns great Tracey Fear would join the Ferns camp for the South Africa series as additional support for the players.
What happened next is where the accounts diverge.
According to Taurua's camp, the coaching staff were willing to meet all the conditions proposed and had even "co-designed" a player safeguarding plan, only for Netball NZ board chair Matt Whineray to "pull the rug out" from underneath them at the 11th hour.
However, multiple other sources said it was Taurua who abruptly backtracked, after the issue of how the changes would be communicated to the players was discussed.
"She said something like 'no, I'm not feeling it, eh, I'm not feeling it in my wairua [soul]'," recalls one insider.
"[Whineray] was basically pleading with her, he goes 'Noeline, we're almost there'."
But the deadlock held.
What began as a discreet cultural review was about to explode into one of the biggest controversies in New Zealand netball history.
Without a resolution, Netball NZ bosses were forced to cancel the Ferns' camp while behind the scenes they scrambled to come up with a plan.
Five days later, the national body made the shock announcement Taurua and her coaching team had been stood down for the South Africa series.
For a sport less familiar with being at the top of the news bulletins, the public reaction hit hard. Not only did the public take notice, they also took sides.
A 51-day public standoff played out against a backdrop of feverish media coverage and social media campaigns.
Finally, late last month, Taurua was reinstated as head coach. In the end, the resolution was stunningly simple and one that had been proposed months earlier, long before tensions spilled over into public view.
RNZ has spoken to more than a dozen sources spanning both sides of the divide about what happened over the past four months in a battle that has exposed deeper questions about power, culture, and accountability in New Zealand sport.
Alternative truths
On Monday, just over a week on from Taurua's reinstatement, the veteran coach broke her silence for the first time, relieved to finally share "her truth".
In a full-day media blitz Taurua fronted every major media outlet, in some cases multiple times, patiently answering the same questions.
By late afternoon, when RNZ In Depth sat down with Taurua, the emotion of the day had clearly taken its toll. Taurua twice broke down and needed to leave the room to compose herself.
"It's been terrible, it's been a terrible experience," Taurua said, choking back tears.
"My name's been put out there without me being able to say anything. I've taken it all."
Later, she spoke of the isolating experience of her 51-day suspension.
"While I was stood down, I was just worrying about what was right in front of me. I couldn't even think about what was the next day. Couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, a lot of times ...," she said, breaking down into tears once more.
While no one could doubt the physical, mental and emotional impact the past two months had taken on the 57 year-old, there were other parts of her account that raised questions.
In interviews throughout the day, Taurua repeatedly made the claim that she did not know why she was stood down, or have any insight into the specific concerns of the players.
"In simple terms, I don't know. And that's my truth. I actually don't know," Taurua told Mike Hosking Breakfast, when asked what she knew of the player complaints.
Listeners were confused.
"No one seems to understand how you can be stood down without any understanding of why you were stood down," Hosking probed further after an ad break.
"I understand that," was Taurua's cryptic response.
Later, she admitted in an interview on RNZ's Morning Report, she had been advised not to say that she did not know why she was suspended.
"My minder that I'm actually with told me not to say 'you don't know'," Taurua said, before doubling down, "the specifics around why [I was stood down], I don't know."
However, when pushed by RNZ In Depth, Taurua confirmed she had received a letter setting out the reasons for her suspension but said she could not discuss what the letter said as part of the terms negotiated with Netball NZ.
Asked if she understood the reasons behind her suspension, Taurua responded: "I mean, the detail of the letter is very clear to me."
Taurua also confirmed that she had sat down with Bryan Stronach, the author of the review, to go over the findings, which summarised the players' key concerns with the environment.
But the damage from her earlier statements was already done. Soon, employment lawyers were publicly weighing in on whether Netball NZ had acted lawfully in removing Taurua without providing her with reasons for doing so.
The confusion over this basic point is perhaps a microcosm of what has played out throughout the dispute – a tangled web of alternate truths and inconsistent accounts.
Taurua's characterisation of events on Monday further frustrated officials who watched as the public discourse once more became wildly untethered from the facts.
RNZ understands the Netball NZ board has "started a process" to talk to Taurua about the tenor of some of her comments in the media, which may have breached the terms of her reinstatement agreement.
In a statement, Netball NZ confirmed it has met to discuss Taurua's comments made in media interviews.
"We can't comment on what action may be taken," the statement read.
A high-performance official with knowledge of the coaching saga said the story has been clouded by misinformation from the outset.
"It's really not that confusing, but all the outside noise has made it confusing. The key thing that no one seems to get is, Noeline was not stood down because of any player complaints," says one high performance official.
"She was stood down because of how she responded to the issues that were raised, which was to go on the attack herself.
"When you refuse to accept there's problems or take any accountability, then it doesn't leave [Netball NZ] with anywhere to go."
The review
There was no single flashpoint. No major inciting incident. Just the slow creep of discontent.
With no international fixtures scheduled for the Silver Ferns over the summer, management instead planned a nine-day training camp in Sydney in the January window.
Along with intensive training and pre-season conditioning, the Ferns played a series of practice games against the Super Netball club side, the NSW Swifts. Lining up against the Ferns in those games was the Swifts' marquee off-season signing — New Zealand shooting ace Grace Nweke.
It was not a happy tour. In the one game that was open to the public, the Ferns were soundly beaten 74-52. One person close to the camp described what followed as an "emotional and overly personal" outburst from Taurua.
The camp, several sources said, was the moment some players decided that something had to change. But the issues stem as far back as the 2023 World Cup in Cape Town.
Four years on from the euphoria of their 2019 triumph, the Ferns slumped to a fourth-placed finish in the Republic — their worst event finish at the pinnacle event.
Publicly, most blamed injuries and bad luck. Privately, players were confused and frustrated by a game plan one pundit dubbed "bumper-car netball".
Of the 15 players who travelled to South Africa, 14 remain active at the top level. Yet six of them — Gina Crampton, Jane Watson, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Tiana Metuarau, Maia Wilson, and former captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio — have elected to make themselves unavailable for Silver Ferns selection over the past 18 months.
The loss of the three shooters this season was seen as particularly damaging.
With concerns that other players were just hanging on by a thread, two senior members of the squad sounded the alarm with the players' association in June, triggering a chain of events that would engulf the sport.
The NZNPA escalated the matter to Netball NZ's board, which in turn sought advice from High Performance Sport NZ (HPSNZ).
The government sport agency agreed to fund an "environment scan and health check", and linked Netball NZ in with Stronach – although HPSNZ stress the scope of the work was determined between the consultant and Netball NZ.
According to sources, one of the key themes raised by the players were allegations there was "culture of fear" in the environment. Players reportedly described being fearful about voicing their opinions, with some sharing that they did not feel that they could provide candid feedback because they feared the coaching team would respond poorly or hold it against them afterward.
Another strong theme of the player concerns was a lack of consistency, clarity and "shifting standards" in the environment, including claims that inconsistent performance and behavioural standards were being applied.
Stronach, who served as high performance director of NZ Cricket for more than a decade, sat down with Taurua and explained the key themes that arose in his interviews with the players.
When asked this week about her response to the issues raised by the players, Taurua said she could not discuss the report. However, she said she had been assured by the reviewer that the issues were not environmental, and the problem lay with individuals.
Asked whether the fact a group of players did not feel safe to raise their concerns directly with her was in itself indicative of an environmental issue, Taurua responded: "It depends on the numbers. I worked with 26, 28 athletes last year. So I think numbers are really important. What's the weighting of those numbers?"
Taurua also disagreed that the report revealed a culture of fear.
"Those words that you've used are not right in my mind of what I've read."
The veteran coach also emphasised Netball NZ's comments at the time of her reinstatement, that there was nothing found during the process that called her integrity into question.
The fallout
After the consultants came the lawyers.
Upon receiving Stronach's report, Taurua and her coaching team "disengaged" from any high-performance discussions and sought legal advice, furious about what they saw as a flawed an incomplete process.
Former Silver Ferns selector Gail Parata, who resigned in protest at Netball NZ's treatment of Taurua, told RNZ last month that seven players were interviewed out of a wider group of around 30 athletes and staff.
Taurua this week echoed those concerns.
"There's areas of the process that I would question, and to some degree challenge, mainly because of everybody not being involved," she said.
"As Silver Ferns management we had robust conversations around the process in saying that, it never negated, I suppose, the love and care that we have for the athletes and the method for them to be able to voice their concerns – that was never an issue for us."
Taurua's camp also felt that anonymising player comments stripped them of the context needed to properly address the issues.
However, a source who has seen the Stronach report said there were clear examples provided, and in some cases where something happened in a broader team context, specific incidents were referred to.
The senior high-performance official said the process was never designed to be a formal review.
Rather, they claim the purpose of getting a consultant in was to get an understanding of the issues within the group and provide a voice for those disaffected players.
Privately, both sides now seem to acknowledge that the process was flawed, and the review should have canvassed the entire playing group and management staff.
One insider said this would have not only eliminated any claims of bias that comes with interviewing a "self-selecting group", but it also would have meant the players that did speak out would have been better protected.
The source points out the irony is, Netball NZ steered clear of a more formal, wide-ranging investigation due risks dirty laundry would be aired if it became public.
They added the national body ensured Stronach's report was tightly guarded in an effort to protect Taurua's reputation.
Officials remain confused as to why, when there was no suggestion that any disciplinary or employment action would be taken off the back of the report, the coaching staff immediately escalated it into "legal territory".
One described the report as being "solutions focused" and provided a clear framework for Silver Ferns management and the high-performance team to work towards.
The source says the issues raised by a group of players were easily resolvable, but it takes a willingness of the coaches to be open and engage on the issues.
"This happens all the time in high performance sport. I cannot overstate how normal this is. You wouldn't have a single end of year review in the All Blacks where there isn't at least one issue between the players and coaching group that needs to be addressed," they said.
"But these can usually be quickly resolved by getting people around the table and really listening and taking ownership.
"How it ever escalated to the point it has is mind-boggling. Noels and Deb [Fuller] just dug their heels in and refused to accept any responsibility – to what end?"
In her interviews this week, Taurua, a coach renowned for her humanistic approach, emphasised her "love and care" for the players, describing people as "my 101".
"If players have concerns, 100% I want to be able to listen to those concerns," she said.
Asked why, that being the case, she was not able to work with the player's representatives four months ago to address the concerns, Taurua responded: "Good question".
A member of Taurua's camp agrees the issues were easily resolvable. But they sheet the blame for the dramatic escalation in tensions back to the leadership of Netball NZ boss Jennie Wyllie and the board.
The source alleges Netball NZ were "captured" by the players association that inappropriately inserted themselves into the programme and "catastrophised the issues".
Jennie Wyllie told Breakfast she was "very regretful" of the impact Dame Noeline Taurua's suspension and later reinstatement had on the game. (Source: Breakfast)
In an interview with RNZ In Depth following Taurua's reinstatement, Wyllie said the decision to stand the coaching staff down was "incredibly difficult" and not one that was taken lightly.
"We had issues in the environment, and it was something that we couldn't walk past. We needed to reach some common ground on how we were going to collectively deal with them.
"This was never about Noeline leaving the environment, this was always about how we could improve the environment.
"We looked at several different ways that we could provide confidence to the Netball New Zealand board, and it was important that we keep exploring all of those and that's what we did as we led into the [South Africa] test series."
"And that's what we've all been working on since. Sometimes finding that common ground takes a bit of time but we're just pleased that we're there now."
The campaign
The shock suspension of the coaching group in September meant the dispute moved from a high-performance conversation to an employment conversation.
And soon, the wider public was eager to join in.
The seemingly endless mediation discussions between Netball NZ leaders and Taurua played out against the backdrop of a highly orchestrated public campaign.
A network of coaches, former players, and even political figures were briefed in to provide a voice for the veteran coach in the dispute, angry at what they saw as Taurua's mana and integrity under attack.
In the vacuum of information coming from official sources, the popular narrative that took hold was that the complaints stemmed from a few fringe players that were unhappy with Taurua's "old-school style".
Many linked Taurua's policy of setting minimum fitness standards to the current issues, speculating the players were upset by her uncompromising stance.
However, one of the allegations raised by players was in fact the opposite – that the fitness standards were not being consistently applied, and favoured players were given dispensations.
Parata also publicly downplayed the player complaints.
In a lengthy Facebook post announcing her resignation as selector, Parata said Taurua's standing down sent a "chilling message to every coach in Aotearoa New Zealand".
"Who would step into a role now knowing that one complaint, one misinterpretation or one moment taken out of context could end their career?" she wrote.
Parata's post came a month after she handed in her resignation, prompting questions over the timing of her decision to go public.
"It's as if every time the story dies down for a bit and goes quiet, someone lights the match again," observed one.
Wyllie said the constant media coverage fuelled by speculation made resolving the standoff all the more difficult.
"Speculating about what may have taken place in an employment contract is always very dangerous because you're doing it without full information. And what's been really hard for us at Netball New Zealand is, in order to protect the privacy of everyone, we haven't been able to answer those very questions that the fans have wanted to know," she said.
"That meant that we've taken some hits. But I think ultimately when we're talking about the health and the well-being of our environment, there is not a place to compromise and there is not a place to bow to pressure."
The public campaign also piled further pressure on the leadership of Netball NZ – an organisation that has seemingly lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years.
There are many in the netball community who are deeply dissatisfied with the decision-making of Wyllie, who has been fighting battles on multiple fronts: a faltering domestic league, protracted broadcast talks that left players uncertain about their future, and internal unrest marked by high turnover and workplace complaints. The messy handling of the coaching dispute has only intensified calls for change at the top.
While the public was demanding Taurua's reinstatement, behind the scenes, Netball NZ was trying to work towards just that.
During marathon negotiations in Auckland following the South Africa tests, Taurua was offered several pathways to reinstatement ahead of the Constellation Cup series against Australia.
However Taurua, armed with a folder full of written references from former players, coaches and administrators, remained focused on getting the review thrown out.
Star shooter Grace Nweke's emotional public show of support for her coach at the end of the Taini Jamison series was also used by Taurua's camp to reinforce their entrenched view that the issues were not environmental but sat with a small group of players.
Again, talks ended without a resolution.
It meant Taurua found herself sidelined from not only the Constellation Cup, but this month's tour to the UK – a tour considered critical to the Ferns' preparations for next year's Commonwealth Games.
An uneasy truce
After the interminable wait, the breakthrough came out of the blue.
Late last month, 24 hours before the Silver Ferns were due to take the court against Australia in their third test, Netball NZ announced it had reached a resolution with Taurua.
She was to be reinstated as Ferns head coach with "immediate effect" but would remain grounded for the upcoming Northern Tour while the parties implemented agreed upon changes.
"Together, Netball NZ and Dame Noeline have agreed to implement enhancements to support wellbeing and performance, including strengthening the player voice," the release read.
It is understood the changes being worked through involve a re-jig of the Ferns' management team, with Fuller expected to be the likely casualty, and a change in the "psych model" for tours.
More thought is also being put into how post series reviews will be conducted, while Netball NZ will establish formal channels for players to provide regular updates to the board on the health of the environment.
Taurua said she is also hoping to hold a "healing hui" with the whole squad to address the challenges over the past year.
"I feel it's not only for the players, the team, but you know, everybody to some degree has been hurt and we need that opportunity to come together so that we can move forward."
But there remains a sense of fragility to the peace agreement.
In media interviews this week Taurua appeared to backtrack on the sentiments expressed in the carefully worded statement negotiated only a week prior.
The veteran coach said she had not agreed to any personnel changes, though she accepts that Netball NZ have the right to employ who they see fit.
There was also a reluctance to accept any ownership or even acknowledge issues in the environment.
Asked if there was anything over the past six months that she would do differently, Taurua could not point to anything.
"One of the things I feel on reflection is sport is not bigger than law. The law is set up to protect everybody, the athlete, the staff, the coach, and I feel that's been a big learning for me through my experience," she said.
Her legal education is ongoing.
Taurua acknowledged in her interview she was walking a fine line between honouring the terms reinstatement agreement with Netball NZ and being able to speak her truth.
But the concern for one player representative is Netball NZ and Taurua's truths still seem miles apart.
"I just don't know how we move on from here, I really don't."
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