Silver Ferns selector Gail Parata resigns after Netball NZ coaching saga

Former Silver Fern Gail Parata has resigned as a national selector in the wake of coach Dame Noeline Taurua's suspension and has questioned if any coach in New Zealand is safe.

The sport was rocked last month when Netball New Zealand announced that Taurua was being stood down before the Silver Ferns series against South Africa.

Despite further negotiations, Taurua and her assistant coaches remain sidelined for the rest of the year.

Netball New Zealand said a resolution regarding the Silver Ferns "high performance programme and environment" had not yet been reached.

Yvette McCausland-Durie stepped in as interim coach for last month's series and will continue to lead the team for the Constellation Cup against Australia starting on Friday, and next months tour to the UK.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Parata said Taurua's standing down sent a "chilling message to every coach in Aotearoa New Zealand."

"The sudden stand-down of Dame Noeline Taurua and her coaching staff has left many of us across the coaching community stunned and questioning how it has come to this," Parata writes.

She said it appeared that the coaching profession's voice had been sidelined and even the most successful, world-class coaches were now dispensable.

"The very essence of coaching - relationships, trust and lived experience - no longer seems to hold weight with those making the decisions."

Parata said she made the difficult decision to resign as a national selector to show her support for Taurua and said her treatment was deeply concerning for coaches in New Zealand.

" ... Who would step into a role now knowing that one complaint, one misinterpretation or one moment taken out of context could end their career?"

The issues trace back to a training camp in January. Afterwards, two players approached the NZ Netball Players Association on behalf of a larger group of up to seven players, raising concerns about Taurua's leadership and communication style.

The players alleged the environment had become "psychologically unsafe", describing a culture in which some felt fearful of raising issues directly with the head coach.

An independent review later highlighted "significant issues" within the Silver Ferns environment.

"We keep hearing words like 'safety' and 'well-being' but with no transparency, those words ring hollow," Parata wrote. "Right now, it feels to some in the coaching community that coaching in this country is risky - personally, professionally and financially."

Parata said Taurua had elevated countless players and staff while she was Silver Ferns coach, and yet "even she wasn't protected".

Parata and Taurua first met playing for the imposing Wellington club side, PIC, through the 1990s.

Parata later went on to coach Scotland for six years before moving back to New Zealand, where she became coach of the Pulse in the ANZ Premiership.

Parata had just one season with the Pulse in 2021, before she was replaced by Yvette McCausland-Durie.

Parata has questioned whether politics is at play.

"If someone like Dame Noeline can be stood down like this, what message does that send to every coach in our system? That excellence and integrity are no longer enough. That politics now trumps performance.

"Elite sport is emotional, high-stakes, high-pressure and human. But when governance bodies start weaponising player emotions or allowing isolated complaints to dictate coaching futures without proper process, that's not protecting anyone. That's eroding trust.

"Have Netball NZ and the Players' Association used a minority of player concerns under the banner of "safety" to justify removing one of the most visionary women leaders in sport?"

Bad Practice

Parata has also criticised the way the the National Selection Panel (NSP) functioned after Taurua was stood down.

The NSP was made up of Convenor of Selectors Adrianne Hayes, Gail Parata and Leigh Gibbs. It also includes the Silver Ferns head coach - until recently Dame Noeline.

Parata said two of the other selectors were overseas at the time of Taurua's suspension, leaving her as the only one on the ground in New Zealand.

"Under the selection policy, selection requires a Convenor of Selectors, the Head Coach plus two other selectors. Instead, with my resignation and the stand-down of Dame Noeline, the policy was quickly changed to suit the current situation - reducing the panel from four to three selectors, with the Board and Players' Association sign-off sought afterwards, more or less a rubber stamp after the fact."

While it was presented as a practical solution due to the situation, Parata said it set a concerning precedent.

"Changing policy to fit circumstances rather than upholding consistent, transparent standards is not good practice."

"Without the national selectors on the ground …who ensured the athletes were evaluated with the same depth, objectivity and care? Those currently in place had only been involved for a few weeks and that raises serious questions about how selection decisions were made and on what foundation."

But in a statement from Netball New Zealand it said the Silver Ferns selection process at all times adhered to the agreed selection policy and governance standards.

"While adjustments were made to enable selections to proceed in a timely and practical manner, these were fully endorsed through the appropriate channels, prior to the selections in accordance with the policy.

"Netball NZ remains confident that the selection process was fair, transparent, and conducted with integrity."

Netball NZ acknowledged the resignation of Parata on 17 September and thanked her for her contribution as a Silver Ferns selector.

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