Sport New Zealand take step back from Netball New Zealand and Noeline Taurua coaching feud
Saturday, 25 October 2025
What: Constellation Cup test three; Silver Ferns v Australia. When: Sunday, 4.10pm. Where: Globox Arena, Hamilton. Live coverage: Sky Sport 1 from 3.30pm.
Sport New Zealand is keeping its distance from the Dame Noeline Taurua coaching saga despite calls from the Sports Minister to get involved - with no imminent resolution in sight.
The Silver Ferns are at a low ebb heading into the New Zealand leg of the Constellation Cup, finding themselves in a 0-2 hole against Australia ahead of Sunday’s match in Hamilton.
New Zealand were crushed by 17 goals in both tests in Australia and their hopes of retaining the Constellation Cup look slim. They would need to win in Hamilton and Wednesday’s final test in Christchurch just to force series decider time in that match to determine the series winner.
In Wednesday’s 68-51 thumping in Sydney, the Ferns looked visibly drained from the emotional and mental toll of the Taurua coaching fiasco. The Ferns’ best player, Grace Nweke, cut a frustrated figure throughout the match, dealing with a constant physical battering from the Australian defenders and some poor ball placement from her feeders.
An end to the ugly impasse between Netball New Zealand (NNZ) and decorated coach Taurua does not seem close and is edging towards a legal resolution.
Taurua will be sidelined for the rest of the year and appears to have coached the Ferns for the final time. She was sensationally stood down on September 10, just 11 days out from the first Taini Jamison Trophy test against South Africa, the Ferns’ first international of 2025.
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.
This week, Sports Minister Mark Mitchell called on Sport NZ to accelerate the messy situation, saying it had dragged on too long. But, Sport NZ, the parent organisation of High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ), has not directly been able to be involved once it became an employment matter between NNZ and Taurua.
'It's between Netball New Zealand and Dame Noeline, but what I have said is it's taking too long, it's damaging netball. All of these people are deeply passionate about the game,' Mitchell told RNZ.
HPSNZ was initially at the table for mediation efforts with NNZ, Taurua, and the New Zealand Netball Players’ Association (NZNPA), but after extensive talks no progress could be made. Yvette McCausland-Durie will continue as interim Silver Ferns coach for the rest of the year in Taurua’s absence.
Sport NZ was continuing to offer the Silver Ferns’ players and management support as they tried to focus on a netball series with Australia, something it had also done through the Taini Jamison Trophy.
Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle finds herself in an interesting position having previously been NNZ chief executive from 2007-13.
“Over the past few months High Performance Sport New Zealand worked closely with Netball NZ to support Silver Ferns management as they prepared for the Taini Jamison series. We will continue to offer support to ensure the Silver Ferns can take the court with certainty during the remainder of the Constellation Cup and Northern tour,” HPSNZ director of high performance Steve Tew said in a statement.
“Netball NZ and Dame Noeline Taurua are currently involved in a confidential employment process.”
NNZ receives $2.2 million per year from HPSNZ primarily to fund the Silver Ferns in their world championship cycle.
Labour MP Willie Jackson weighed in this week, slamming the handling of the situation and urging Mitchell to freeze NNZ’s funding until the Taurua issue was resolved.
Mitchell hosed down the likelihood of that happening, telling RNZ: “These are all good people who have done so much for netball in New Zealand and they themselves I'm sure are committed in wanting to get this resolved as quickly as possible as well. I don't know why it's taken so long.“
Jackson, a former sports broadcaster, had a long friendship with Taurua’s late father, Kingi, who died in May 2018. Kingi was kaumātua at Jackson’s marae, Nga Whare Waatea, in Auckland for a decade.
Jackson, who is chair of the marae, believed Kingi would have been outraged by the coaching debacle.