Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Does Netball NZ know how bad this looks?

How is it possible that the Dame Noeline Taurua crisis has actually got worse today? How is it possible that she's got her job back today and this thing has still got worse?

I'm getting the impression that Netball New Zealand do not realize how bad this is today.

If they don't realize the enormous damage that Dame Noeline has done to them by going on at least three radio interviews and one TV interview and saying repeatedly the same thing -  that she does not know how she was stood down, that there was no investigation to clear her before she was brought back - if they don't realize how enormous this is, I can't explain it to them.

They're not responding today to Dame Noels' comments and they're not saying if she's right or wrong. 

All we know is that the Netball New Zealand minder who was with her when she was doing the interviews told her to stop telling Mike Hosking that she didn't know why she was stood down.

Now let me, for the benefit of everyone - but particularly I think for Netball New Zealand - explain how bad this is.

None of us here in this office can think of a single employment disagreement that has been dragged out in public like this for this long with this much interest in it.

Not even, I would say, the John Hawkesby-Richard Long case back in the late 90s, which was a really big deal at the time - not even that went on this long and was this badly handled.

None of us can also think of a single time when Mike Hosking interviewed someone over four interview slots, which is what happened with Dame Noels this morning. Even during COVID, Jacinda Ardern maybe got three slots maximum.

Noeline got four, that's how big this is. It's certainly big enough, I think, for somebody at Netball New Zealand to lose their job now.

I'm sorry to say this, because I've got a lot of respect for Matt Whineray, the chair of the board, but I think this is now big enough for him to actually have to consider standing down. Either him or the CEO Jennie Wyllie - or frankly, both of them.

Either that or they tell us that Dame Noeline is wrong and that what she said on air this morning was wrong.

But if her version of events is right, then what has happened to her is completely unacceptable, and Netball New Zealand must indicate that they think this - that they do not condone this kind of ill treatment of employees because their judgment is now in question.

We're all looking at this and thinking - if you can stuff up something this badly, what else are you going to stuff up?

They cannot afford for us to not believe in their judgment because they are now far from through the worst of what they're going through, with the financial crisis that they're in and the broadcasting crisis that they're in, right?

They have not actually solved their broadcasting problems and they have not saved the domestic competition.

If they want us to trust that they know what they're doing, and if they want us to not question them at every single turn, then I'm sorry - someone absolutely has to lose their job over this.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, how is it possible that the Dame Noles crisis
has actually got worse today? How is it possible that
she's got her job back today and this thing has
still got worse. I'm getting the impression that Netbull New
Zealand do not realize how bad this is today. If
they don't realize the enormous damage that Dame Knowles has
done to them by going on at least three radio
interviews in one TV interview and saying repeatedly the same
thing that she does not know how she was stood down,

(00:22):
that there was no investigation to clear her before she
was brought back. If they don't realize how enormous this is,
I can't explain it to them. They're not responding today
to Dame Knowles's comments. They're not saying if she's right
or wrong. All we know is that the Netball New
Zealand minder who was with her when she was doing
the interviews, told her to stop telling Mike Hosking that
she didn't know why she was stood down. Now, let me,

(00:43):
for the benefit of everyone, but particularly I think for
Netball New Zealand, explain how bad this is. None of
us here in this office can think of a single
employment disagreement that has been dragged out in public like
this for this long, with this much interest in it.
Not even I would say, the John hawksby Richard long
case back in the late nineties, which was really big

(01:04):
deal at the time. Not even that went on this
long and was this badly handled. None of us can
also think of a single time when Mike Hoskin interviewed
someone over four interview slots, which is what happened with
Dame Noles this morning. Even during covid Ji Sindadan maybe
got three slots maximum, Nole's got four. That's how big
this is. It's certainly big enough I think for somebody

(01:27):
at Netbull New Zealand now to lose their job now.
I'm sorry to say this because I've got a lot
of respect for Matt Winneray, the chair of the board,
but I think this is now big enough for him
to actually have to consider standing down, either him or
the CEO, Jenny Wiley, or frankly both of them. Either
that or they tell us that Dame Knowles is wrong
and that what she said on here this morning was wrong.
But if her version of events is right, then what

(01:47):
has happened to her, is completely unacceptable and Netball New
Zealand must indicate that they think that that they do
not condone this kind of ill treatment of employees because
their judgment is now in question. We're all looking at
this and thinking, if you can stuff something this badly,
what else are you going to stuff up? They cannot
afford for us to not believe in their judgment because
they are now far from far. They are far from

(02:08):
through the worst of what they're going through and the
financial crisis that they are in and the broadcasting crisis
that they're in. Right, they have not actually solved their
broadcasting problems. They have not saved the domestic competition. If
they want us to trust that they know what they
are doing, and if they want us to not question
them at every single turn, then I'm sorry. Someone absolutely
has to lose their job over this. For more from

(02:31):
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