Source: Radio New Zealand
The chairperson had served on the Netball NZ Board for more than eight years. File photo SANKA VIDANAGAMA
Multiple Netball NZ board members – including chairperson Matt Whineray – are stepping down from their roles.
In a statement released this evening, Netball NZ said Whineray and board members Pavan Vyas, Stephen Cottrell and Aliesha Staples are moving on after a “a challenging period for the sport and broader netball community”.
The statement said the board members recognised there was “a need for new leadership to enable renewed focus and momentum for Netball NZ”.
Last year the organisation struggled to secure a broadcast deal for the ANZ Premiership, the sport’s domestic showpiece
Then in September it announced that Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua was being suspended due to concerns in the high performance environment, sparked by player complaints..
Dame Noeline was eventually reinstated, but calls for ‘heads to roll’ at Netball NZ came from many quarters of the netball community.
Jane Patterson was hired as interim chief executive last month, following Jennie Wyllie’s decision to step down as head in December 2025 after nine years in the job.
Whineray had served on the Netball NZ Board for more than eight years, and had been chair for the past two and a half years.
In today’s announcement, Whineray said netball had “long been a sport that is inclusive, accessible and deeply connected to people of all ages and backgrounds”.
“This job has been deeply fulfilling, and it has been an honour to serve New Zealand’s vibrant netball community over the past eight and a half years,” Whineray said.
“The board accepts that the last year has been a significantly challenging time for Netball NZ and the wider netball community and, as chair, I acknowledge there is a need for a change in leadership. To this end, I firmly believe now is the right time for me to step back from the board and allow Netball NZ to appoint a new chair to guide the organisation through an important year ahead.”
A recruitment process will begin in the next week to find replacements for the board chair and board members, who will remain in their roles until those replacements are appointed.
The incoming chair will take responsibility for managing the recruitment of Netball NZ’s new chief executive
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
