New Zealand Cricket has admitted its decision to pursue the NZ20 league went against the initial lean of a key piece of independent advice.
By Dana Johannsen of RNZ
A Deloitte analysis commissioned by the national body favoured further exploration of a New Zealand team entering Australia's Big Bash League, despite the NZC board ultimately voting unanimously to pursue a privately-owned domestic franchise competition.
In a statement released on Wednesday, NZC board chairwoman Diana Puketapu-Lyndon said the Deloitte report identified financial upside and governance advantages in the Big Bash option, but the board decided those benefits were outweighed by the strategic value of establishing NZ20.
For the first time, NZC has detailed how that process unfolded, revealing that the Deloitte report was one of four separate pieces of expert analysis commissioned as weighed up changes to the domestic game.
The revelation comes after mounting criticism from high profile members of the New Zealand Cricket community, including Sir Richard Hadlee and former NZC President Lesley Murdoch, who have questioned the organisation's governance, transparency and future direction and called for the release of the Deloitte report.
Puketapu-Lyndon said the board is confident it made the right decision in choosing NZ20, but accepted it did not explain the process well enough when the decision was made in March.
She said the Deloitte report was only one part of the information considered by the Board and was never intended to be made public because of the confidential information provided by individuals, entities and stakeholders.
"We acknowledge we should have provided more information about the process to get there and the rationale for where we finally landed," she said.
"People who love this game deserve to know how we made the decision – we've heard that, and want to make it right."
'The message was clear'
Puketapu-Lyndon said the decision came down to which option offered the best long-term future for New Zealand cricket, particularly the grassroots game, domestic player pathways and NZC's ability to retain control over the direction of the sport.
"Our constitution says the amateur game is the reason NZC exists, and NZ20 was the superior option in that respect with the development of a Capital Fund from the sale of teams which would help underpin the community game for years to come."
NZ20 would also provide a domestic competition of around six teams spread around the country, which Puketapu-Lyndon said would offer greater opportunities for players and fans while creating a platform to grow the game in New Zealand.
NZC said it also took into account the views of its cricket network, with the six Major Associations and NZ Cricket Players Association backing the NZ20 option.
"We listened and took into account the views of our cricket network who are our most important stakeholders. These are the people our game relies on to function and prosper, and the message was clear, from our Major Associations (MAs) and our professional players – they wanted us to pursue NZ20."
The Board also considered how the global game was changing and which option would allow NZC to retain control over the future direction of cricket in New Zealand.
"When all of that was considered, alongside the Board's own due diligence, the Board voted unanimously, 7-0, to support NZ20 as the preferred option."
Puketapu-Lyndon said the Deloitte report was only one part of the information considered by the Board and was never intended to be made public because of the confidential information provided by individuals, entities and stakeholders.
"Confidentiality is standard practice for Deloitte when they produce reports of this nature," she said.
While Deloitte has not identified any record of a commitment to provide participants with a copy of the report, Puketapu-Lyndon said it had acknowledged that Sir Richard and Murdoch came away from the process expecting to receive one.
Deloitte had apologised for any lack of clarity, or anything said during the consultation process, that created that expectation, she said. NZC has not released the full report, but Puketapu-Lyndon has now disclosed its key finding on the Big Bash.
"At the time of Deloitte's report earlier this year, its analysis favoured exploring the Big Bash opportunity further, for reasons including financial upside and governance, but it also said weighing the options was for the Board and encouraged us to continue exploring both options."
Concerns raised about transparency, accountability
The failure of NZC to disclose of the Deloitte report is at the heart of Sir Richard's criticism of the national body.
Sir Richard, who played 86 test matches for New Zealand and 115 one day internationals, had contributed to the consultation process and said he was told the report would be shared with participants.
In a statement released last Friday, Sir Richard raised concerns about the "governance, transparency, accountability and the future direction of cricket in New Zealand".
"My view is simple. The longer the report remains unavailable to key stakeholders, the greater the speculation regarding its findings, recommendations and the decision-making process that followed.
"Transparency builds trust. A lack of transparency creates uncertainty, misinformation, speculation and mistrust. That was my view when I served on the Board and it remains my view today."
His criticism came amid a turbulent period for NZC, including the departure of chief executive Scott Weenink and the resignation of former Black Cap Dion Nash from the NZC Board following the debate over the future of domestic T20 cricket.
Sir Richard said the developments over the past 12 months, including changes in Board composition, the departure of senior executives and staff, concerns about staff morale and concerns expressed by commercial partners and sponsors, "warrant serious reflection by the Board and leadership of the organisation".
Puketapu-Lyndon acknowledged the national body had been through a difficult period.
"It's been a time of change and uncertainty, and we put our hand up in saying we could have handled things better," she said.
"NZC is determined to improve our communication and engagement with our staff, our network, and the public, so people are informed and confident about how decisions are made."
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