Elliott Smith: Sportstalk host on High Performance Sport NZ footing the bill for an independent Silver Ferns review

High Performance Sport NZ has quietly footed the bill for an independent review and player wellbeing support in the Silver Ferns' camp amid the ongoing Dame Noeline Taurua saga.

While Netball NZ grapples with the fallout following Taurua's suspension, HPSNZ has offered funding, strategic advice, and resourcing behind the scenes.

Sportstalk host Elliott Smith explains further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Elliot Smith Sports Talkhoasters with US out of Allied.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Hello, Heather Heaps. The tickets available for the Yeah, this
is tomorrow night at Eden Park. You know, were the
flagship games of the summer. You would have to think
black Caps England. They did a deal yesterday twenty five
dollars tickets. They did for about twelve hours. But there
are still bucket loads of tickets.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Again, how many like half the stadium, a quarter of
the stadium.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
I would say more than half the stadium. I look
at the ticket map. I mean, it's hard to get
an exact number, but I look at the tip map
about twenty minutes ago, buckets a ticket. Now it's probably
going to rain in Auckland because it's terrible weather across
the country. But people haven't planned in advance. And that's
the kind of thing that worries me, is that people
weren't looking three or four weeks ago to go, let's
go to black Caps England and buy our tickets. So

(00:40):
it very rainy tomorrow, very rainy tomorrow. But people also
haven't put their tickets in advance, not knowing what the
weather might be. So I think there's a little bit
of an issue there around this.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Is it a Thursday night issue?

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Could be a Thursday night issue?

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Because tell me asking for a friend who's going me?
What times are going to wrap up?

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Fifteen first bore, you're probably allow three in a bit now,
it's probably going to wrap up about ten thirty.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
That's quite late for it Thursday, it.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Is, Yeah, and people are getting across Auckland. Kingsland's not
always the easiest, so by.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
The time you know, navigate your way out of the
cordons and stuff like that, you're getting home at about
midnight maybe probably yeah, yeah, So isn't that part of
the problem.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
It could well be. And that's the problem I've got
is that they've squeezed this and it's not New Zealand
Crickets fault necessarily, but they've had to squeeze this two
week England tour before they go and play the Ashes
over in Australia. So you're going to have to play
They played Monday night earlier in the week, they're playing
Thursday night. You know, these aren't the traditional Saturday afternoon
Sunday games of cricket that maybe Friday night that we
may be used to. Yeah, and so on. I think

(01:39):
it's a you know, it's it's a double issue that.

Speaker 3 (01:42):
Can I just suggest though, twenty five dollars to go
and see the black Caps play England in a T
twenty is an absolute bargain.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
It's a pretty good deal.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
We should just take it.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Absolutely. He looked at some of the other prices though,
they're edging about sixty dollars.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Oh geez, there you go, hey, running quickly through what's.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Just dropped with the silver fis so high Performances w
New Zealand basically admitting that they've been funding sort of
the reviews and external consultants to come in and try
and figure out this mess around and the player support
and the player support, so high performance.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Sport New Zealand is donkey deep in.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
This well yes, and Nolan Total is on the boards
of yeah around there as well. Yes, So it's a
bit of a mess. It's not even further into the mess.
I don't know. I think this is high performance in
New Zealand. That is what they're there for. Lost their job,
This is their job to provide the athletes are going
to put.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Something to you.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
So somebody said to me today and this is this
was a conversation.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
About Netball New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
I've had two people say this to me actually in
the last twenty four hours who have kind of like,
I think, some inside information of what's going on here.
They said Netball New Zealand and suggested they're not the
bad guys here. The problem is they cannot defend themselves.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
That's quite may well be getting.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
Because of legal the legal ramif it's.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
An employment issue, they say something wrong in the public domain,
that's going to set them up. It's going to be very.

Speaker 3 (02:56):
Clear where it came from, and then Nolan's camp will
be able to take harder actions.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
And so maybe they're sitting there going jeez, another day
that we're being absolutely snowballed by more and more criticism.
They're having to wear it and they can't get on
the front foot about this. But again, the public one answers,
and that's why you had Mark Mitchell yesterday on your show,
Willie Jackson also coming out and going, can we please,
for the love of God sort this out, because the
public is demanding and going, why hasn't Dame Loleine told

(03:22):
her there? Why do we not know these allegations? Why
does she not know the allegation.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
Well exactly, so, I mean, I'm sorry, but what we
know makes Neckborne News Zealand look terrible.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
That's right. And so we're only getting you know.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
Are unfair on them or do they deserve it?

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Elliott, Well, again, they can't defend themselves, so we don't know.
And I guess that goes back to the original point
is how do we cover the story and you know,
give both sides of the debate when we're not getting
really any side of the debate.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
Yeah, okay, that's a fair point. Allott listen, Thank you
very much.

Speaker 3 (03:51):
As always, Alix Smith's SportsTalk Coast be back seven o'clock this.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Evening for more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live
to news Talks it'd be from four pm we or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.