Hockey New Zealand have confirmed details relating to independent reviews of the environment within the national women's team and the organisation's wider high performance programme.
Mark Hager at the Four Nations tournament in Germany in June. Photo: Photosport
The latest in a string of national sporting organisations to launch reviews into team or high performance environments this year, HNZ announced on Tuesday that Auckland-based employment lawyer Maria Dew will lead both investigations.
The reviews, expected to completed by the end of November, come after allegations of a negative environment in the Black Sticks women's squad under coach Mark Hager.
Those allegations came in the wake of Hager accidentally sending an email to the entire team naming and shaming individual players for their performance and fitness after a defeat at last month's World Cup.
Public revelations of the email led some players to raise concerns with the New Zealand Hockey Players Association, who passed that feedback onto the national body, although several former players have publicly expressed their support for the former Australian international.
In a statement confirming the review details, HNZ said all aspects of the investigations had been reached in consultation with the players association.
"[Maria] Dew, from Bankside Chambers in Auckland, has extensive experience leading independent investigations and reviews across both public and private sectors organisations.
"The target date for the confidential independent review report to be presented to Hockey New Zealand and the NZHPA is the end of November 2018.
"We are conscious of the need to respect the privacy and confidentiality of all involved in this review, therefore we will not be making any further public comment on this matter at this time."
Hager has been in charge of the women's side since 2008, appointed after New Zealand finished 12th at the Beijing Olympics.
Since then, the Black Sticks have twice finished fourth at the Olympics and this year won gold at the Commonwealth Games.
