Netball New Zealand left to ponder if Dame Noeline Taurua mess could have been avoided

Wednesday, 1 October 2025

ANALYSIS: Netball New Zealand’s key leaders must wonder if the Dame Noeline Taurua coaching saga could have been prevented.

To think Taurua was awarded a damehood in the New Year’s Honours of 2020 for her role in leading the Silver Ferns to an against-the-odds Netball World Cup title in 2019.

Yet five years on, she was sensationally stood down for last week’s Taini Jamison Trophy against South Africa. The ugly Taurua situation has been a blight on the game of netball in New Zealand, a sport already reeling from plenty of negative publicity this year following broadcast deal issues, a vastly watered down ANZ Premiership for 2026, and leading Silver Ferns being given the green light to jump ship to Australia’s Super Netball next year.

Taurua-gate has been the final nail in the coffin in NNZ’s 2025 from hell. One solace might be that it did not happen last year amid its centenary anniversary celebrations.

Under-fire NNZ chief executive Jennie Wyllie - a longtime Taurua fan - and board chair Matt Whineray will have both contemplated if this messy ordeal should ever have got this far.

Below them, NNZ’s board is made up of Tina Karaitiana (president), Lynette Rayner, former Silver Fern Julie Coney, Pavan Vyas, Sue Gordon, Aliesha Staples and Stephen Cottrell.

Taurua was stood down 10 days before the Taini Jamison Trophy series started, stemming back to a training camp in Sydney in January, where a group of players raised concerns about her leadership and communication style.

Two players acting on behalf of a larger group went to the New Zealand Netball Players’ Association (NZNPA) following the Sydney camp, voicing their displeasure. It sparked an independent report, which highlighted significant issues in the Ferns’ environment.

Things got ugly from there and relations could not be mended before the South Africa series, leaving NNZ with the radical move of removing Taurua as coach for the Taini Jamison Trophy.

But should it have got to that point?

The Post understands attempts to deal with the matter in-house between NNZ and the players proved unsuccessful. An independent report was subsequently carried out.

Taurua was not told an independent report had been been commissioned until after the investigation was completed in June. Complainants were assured their identities would remain confidential. When Taurua learned the report findings she was naturally livid. Those actions appeared a major mis-step from NNZ.

No resolution appears in sight.

Taurua, NNZ officials, and the NZNPA were understood to be back at the negotiating table on Wednesday after little ground was made in Tuesday’s meeting. Radio New Zealand reported Tuesday’s talks lasted for 10 hours with a stalemate effectively playing out.

It left Taurua seemingly no closer to finding out if she will remain as Silver Ferns head coach, a role she has held since August 2018, or if her position is untenable.

In the days before the Silver Ferns went into camp for the Taini Jamison Trophy, the parties gathered for mediation. With a resolution unable to be met, Taurua was stood down for the series and has potentially coached the Ferns for the final time.

When NNZ issued a bombshell press release late on September 10, 11 days before the opening match, outlining Taurua would not be involved for the South Africa series, there was no going back.

The Taurua coaching debacle has played out publicly in the media with new tasty details seemingly emerging every day, even if barely anyone is commenting publicly. New Zealand netball has become the butt of jokes. Even people unfamiliar with the difference between a goal attack and goal keep have weighed in.

Taurua clearly has her supporters with Karin Burger backing the coach publicly, then New Zealand’s best netballer, Grace Nweke, delivering a passionate plea to the Sky television audience at the end of Sunday’s post-match presentation.

It is understood NNZ were not impressed with Nweke’s actions, sending a memo to players to stay quiet on the matter, otherwise “contracts could be in jeopardy”.

Adding to the drama, NNZ boss Wyllie was away on a pre-planned family holiday, when the chaos broke out publicly about Taurua being stood down. Wyllie played an integral role in getting Taurua on board as Silver Ferns coach in 2018, a tricky move considering she was also coaching the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Australia for 2019.

Wyllie was adamant she was still the right person to lead NNZ into the future, despite the lowest point of her tenure in charge.

“We need to have strong leadership. We need to be able to unite as a board and a collective of netball in its entirety and I feel that I've got the skills to be able to do that and lead us through,’’ Wyllie told TVNZ last week.

“My job is to lead this business through these rocky moments and that's where we've found ourselves.”

In defence of NNZ, it has been backed into a tough situation. With at least two leading Silver Ferns unwilling to play for the side if Taurua was coach, NNZ’s worst fears were realised. Standing down the coach, rather than not selecting a group of players was always going to be the move.

Taurua’s coaching future firmly hinges on a split between senior Silver Ferns players.

Unless there is universal approval from the playing group and differences can be settled, it would be impossible for Taurua to do her job adequately and continue.

AT A GLANCE

Silver Ferns’ Sydney training camp squad in January: Karin Burger, Kate Burley, Ameliaranne Ekenasio, Maddy Gordon, Catherine Hall, Kate Heffernan, Kelly Jackson, Parris Mason, Claire O’Brien, Kimiora Poi, Martina Salmon, Peta Toeava, Saviour Tui, Amelia Walmsley, Maia Wilson.