Netball New Zealand’s Silver Ferns’ coaching decision will have far-reaching ramifications for the sport
Sunday, 28 September 2025
What: Taini Jamison Trophy test three; Silver Ferns v South Africa; When: Sunday, 7.40pm; Where: Stadium Southland, Invercargill; Live coverage: Sky Sport 1 from 7pm.
ANALYSIS: With the Taini Jamison Trophy tucked away, all eyes now turn to Netball New Zealand (NNZ).
The Silver Ferns clinched the series after Wednesday’s 70-58 win over South Africa in Napier, giving them an unassailable 2-0 lead ahead of Sunday’s final test in Invercargill.
NNZ’s next move will have far-reaching ramifications for the sport at the elite level for many years to come.
For NNZ’s board, they must decide whether decorated head coach Dame Noeline Taurua’s position is untenable or if differences can be patched up and a resolution met with the players.
Taurua and assistant coaches Debbie Fuller and Briony Akle were sensationally stood down for the Taini Jamison Trophy series, 10 days before the opening match in Auckland.
The Taurua saga erupted at a nine-day training camp in Sydney in January with two players acting on behalf of a larger group raising concerns about Taurua’s leadership and communication style, saying they felt “psychologically unsafe” and unable to raise issues directly with her.
Things got ugly from there with an independent review later launched and mediation unable to be reached before the start of the Taini Jamison Trophy.
NNZ may be forced to accept there is no going back from here and they cannot carry on with Taurua, who is contracted until early next year.
Adding to the complexities is the fact the Constellation Cup against Australia is fast approaching.
The opening match in the four-game series begins at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena on October 17.
Yvette McCausland-Durie, who stepped in as interim Ferns head coach for the Taini Jamison Trophy, has indicated this was a one-off series for her.
McCausland-Durie, a former Silver Ferns assistant and three time title-winning coach with the Central Pulse, is a busy lady.
She and husband Nathan Durie are co-tumuaki (co-principals) at boys’ boarding school, Tipene St Stephen’s School in south Auckland, which reopened in February after a 25-year hiatus.
The Taini Jamison Trophy fell at a perfect time for McCausland-Durie with the school holidays.
NNZ could always twist McCausland-Durie’s arm and get her to stay on for the rest of the year, should they move on from Taurua.
After the Constellation Cup, which the Ferns are reigning holders of, New Zealand also have a Northern UK tour in November, involving two games against Scotland and three against England.
If Taurua is removed as head coach and McCausland-Durie is unavailable, NNZ suddenly find themselves with a coaching conundrum.
Two of the potential long-term successors to Taurua seemed to be Kiri Wills (now coaching the Queensland Firebirds in Australia’s Super Netball) and former Tactix head coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek.
Delaney-Hoshek finished with the Tactix at the end of the 2024 season and did some netball commentary work for Sky in the ANZ Premiership this season.
It seems highly unlikely Wills, who is preparing for her second season in charge of the Firebirds next year, would break her contract in Australia to come back and coach the Ferns.
ANZ Premiership coaches, Donna Wilkins (who guided the Tactix to a first title in team history this season), and Steel assistant Liana Leota, who was previously involved as technical coach for England, have the potential to one day be Silver Ferns’ head coach.
Both would agree it is too early in their formative coaching careers to step into the pressure situation of the Ferns’ top job. The same applies to Mystics head coach Tia Winikerei, who has started her time in the ANZ Premiership with two titles and a loss to the Tactix in this year’s grand final.
Former Silver Ferns head coach Wai Taumaunu, who helped the team prepare for the Taini Jamison Trophy amid the Taurua saga, might be an option in a short-term caretaker coach role, should Taurua and McCausland-Durie be ruled out.
As lawyer Susan Hornsby-Geluk from Wellington employment law firm, Dundas Street, noted in a column in The Post this week, Taurua could have grounds for a personal grievance.
It is understood Taurua was not made aware of the players’ complaints until after the investigation was completed in June. The complainants were also assured their identities would remain confidential.
“Natural justice requires that a person who is facing serious allegations of this nature has the opportunity to respond to them prior to any views being reached as to what occurred. It is difficult to see how a fair process could have been conducted without Taurua’s knowledge or involvement,” Hornsby-Geluk wrote.
With the clock ticking before the Constellation Cup and the Silver Ferns needing to pick a squad and head into training camp, NNZ’s decision to either move on from or keep Taurua will be one of the most significant in the sport’s history.
Your move NNZ.
AT A GLANCE:
Silver Ferns (from): Karin Burger, Maddy Gordon, Catherine Hall, Georgia Heffernan, Kate Heffernan, Kelly Jackson, Parris Mason, Grace Nweke, Kimiora Poi, Mila Reulu-Buchanan, Martina Salmon, Carys Stythe, Peta Toeava, Filda Vui.
South Africa (from): Khanyisa Chawane (c), Nicholé Breedt, Entle Futshane, Kamogelo Maseko, Tarle Mathe, Owethu Ngubane, Refiloe Nketsa, Nozipho Ntshangase, Nicola Smith, Rolene Streutker, Elmeré van der Berg, Shadine van der Merwe, Juanita van Tonder, Jamie van Wyk, Sanmarie Visser.