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Speaker 1: You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine

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Speaker 1: from Newstalk ZB.

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Speaker 2: No resolution has been reached in the standoff between Netball

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Speaker 2: New Zealand and Silver Ferns coach Dame Noline Totua. The

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Speaker 2: national governing body released a statement yesterday confirming Avet McCausland

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Speaker 2: jury will continue as interim coach for the upcoming Constellation

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Speaker 2: Cup series and for the Northern Tour that follows. Netball

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Speaker 2: New Zealand CEO is Jenny Wiley, who joins us now, Jenny,

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Speaker 2: what can you tell us about the mediation process you've

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Speaker 2: carried out over the last week or so and an

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Speaker 2: inability to find a solution here.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, well, what we're providing today is an update of

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Speaker 3: where we're at. As you know, our players are assembling

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Speaker 3: for camp as they led into conc Up a Northern tour,

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Speaker 3: and as a result we are confirming interim coach appointment.

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Speaker 3: It's in there and that is because despite everyone's best

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Speaker 3: efforts to reach resolution in terms of the concerns and

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Speaker 3: the Silver Ferns high performance environment, we've been unable to

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Speaker 3: do that.

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Speaker 2: What are those concerns?

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Speaker 3: Oh, look, I think they are part of a confidential

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Speaker 3: employment matter, and what we're doing is respecting everyone in

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Speaker 3: that process. But as we've said, we have concerns around

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Speaker 3: the civil firan's high performance environment and working through those.

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Speaker 2: Are they directly related to Dame Nolene only.

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Speaker 3: As you all know, we have to respect the privacy

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Speaker 3: of everyone involved and the confidentiality and that includes that

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Speaker 3: of Dame Nolene, of the players and everyone in that environment,

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Speaker 3: and we hold that paramount in this process.

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Speaker 2: Genny, how many players are involved here?

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Speaker 3: I think you know again that is confidential. You've got

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Speaker 3: to respect the cohort in that environment. We've got to

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Speaker 3: respect that Dame Nolen and her team and that's incredibly

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Speaker 3: important to us in our integrity in this.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I get all that. I get all that,

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Speaker 2: we all get all that. But do you accept that

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Speaker 2: this lack of transparency is damaging to Netble New Zealand.

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Speaker 3: What we do know is there is intense interest in

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Speaker 3: this and any organization like Neple New Zealand lives in

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Speaker 3: a fish bowl. But at the moment, our responsibility is

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Speaker 3: to Dame Nolen and it is to the players, and

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Speaker 3: we maintain you know that is the so priority.

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Speaker 2: Would it not though, be perhaps a better option for

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Speaker 2: you to at least give us some idea of what

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Speaker 2: the issues are.

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Speaker 3: Well, we have given an indication that we are looking

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Speaker 3: to resolve matters within the Silver Ferns high performance environment,

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Speaker 3: but we're also being able to respect the confidentiality and

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Speaker 3: the privacy of all in the process.

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Speaker 2: Can you tell us anything? Can you tell us what

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Speaker 2: the sticking points are why you haven't been able to

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Speaker 2: reach a resolution.

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Speaker 3: I think the key thing here is we're working through

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Speaker 3: a really difficult and challenging process. None of us want

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Speaker 3: to be here, none of us want to be addressing

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Speaker 3: these at this time, and everyone is looking for certainty

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Speaker 3: at the moment. Are We're acutely aware that resolving these

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Speaker 3: issues is absolutely paramount for us all, but for confidentiality reasons,

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Speaker 3: we can't be more open about these issues.

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Speaker 2: Is mediation going to continue?

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Speaker 3: We are working through a confidential employment process, and we're

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Speaker 3: working really really hard with Dame Nolen and her team,

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Speaker 3: and we continue to look at ways and avenues that

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Speaker 3: we can resolve these issues.

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Speaker 2: So, in other words, then you may reach a point,

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Speaker 2: or you may already have reached a point where you

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Speaker 2: don't think mediation will get you any further down the track, Genny.

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Speaker 2: Is Dame Nolen a chance to return his head coach

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Speaker 2: or not.

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Speaker 3: We're working closely to continue to discuss and resolve these issues,

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Speaker 3: but at this time the most important thing for us

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Speaker 3: is to be able to give clarity and transparency to

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Speaker 3: our athletes and management so that they can prepare to

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Speaker 3: the best of their ability for the upcoming test series.

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Speaker 2: Do you think Dame Nolen has clarity and transparency here?

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Speaker 3: I think what we are in is a really confidential

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Speaker 3: process where we need to be able to respect all

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Speaker 3: parties and ensure that we maintain the integrity in the

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Speaker 3: manner of everybody involved, and for that reason it does

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Speaker 3: remain confidential.

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Speaker 2: Would you like Dame Nolen to return his head coach?

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Speaker 3: Well, I think it's really important that we reach a

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Speaker 3: conclusion of these negotiations as quickly as possible and that

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Speaker 3: has not been for wanted trying by all parties.

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Speaker 2: All right, Well, so now you've got Evet McCausland Jery

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Speaker 2: coming in to continue in an interim roll for the

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Speaker 2: rest of the year. It just seems as though the

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Speaker 2: longer this goes, the less likely a resolution is. Can

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Speaker 2: you see a resolution in our future here.

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Speaker 3: I think what we need to be able to do

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Speaker 3: is work through these issues in the right forum with

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Speaker 3: the right people, and ensure that we reach a conclusion

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Speaker 3: that is fit for purpose for our environment.

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Speaker 2: So what is your message, then, Jenny, to Silver Firns

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Speaker 2: fans who are growing increasingly more frustrated and disillusion with resulting.

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Speaker 3: Well, I know that it has been a really unsettling

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Speaker 3: and difficult period. I appreciate that the ability to be

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Speaker 3: fully transparent has not been there, but that is for

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Speaker 3: good reason. We are protecting all parties in this matter,

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Speaker 3: and I know that means we can't be more open

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Speaker 3: about what is going on, but there is good reason

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Speaker 3: for that, and at no time will we move beyond

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Speaker 3: the right and proper process that we have got external

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Speaker 3: support and advice on, and for that reason we will

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Speaker 3: maintain the privacy and confidentiality of everyone involved.

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Speaker 2: Okay, Thanks Jenny Wiley, Netble, New Zealand CEO. Let's bring

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Speaker 2: in New Zealand Netball PLAS Association Executive Manager Step Bond

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Speaker 2: to get a PLAS Association view on this step. Thanks

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Speaker 2: for your time. Are you surprised first of all that

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Speaker 2: no resolution has been reached? Here between Netball New Zealand

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Speaker 2: And and Dan Nolin.

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Speaker 4: Look, we know that there's been a lot of conversations

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Speaker 4: that have happened over the last couple of months, so

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Speaker 4: the fact that they haven't reached a resolution is surprising

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Speaker 4: to us. But I think, like our immediate reaction is

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Speaker 4: it's just really incredibly sad and difficult for everyone concerned

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Speaker 4: at the moment. And I know the impact of this

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Speaker 4: process has really been significant for the entire Neble community.

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Speaker 4: So everyone wants it to end. Everyone wants a decision

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Speaker 4: to be made. So I think that's where everyone is

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Speaker 4: at at this point in time.

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Speaker 2: What is the Players Association's role in the situation?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, the Player Association hasn't been involved in the current

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Speaker 4: between Nebey Zellen and Dame Norlane taror We It is

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Speaker 4: an employment process and so it is between the employer

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Speaker 4: and the employee. Our role across the last couple of months,

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Speaker 4: and our role in general is to receive feedback from

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Speaker 4: the players and present players players views to meet Boney Zellen,

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Speaker 4: and that has been what has happened for the period

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Speaker 4: of time that we have been part of this.

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Speaker 2: How much has this divided the playing group?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, that's an interesting question, and I think think everyone

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Speaker 4: publicly has seen that there has been some divide between

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Speaker 4: the group, But all players, like in many sporting teams,

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Speaker 4: will have different opinions and different experiences and their perspective

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Speaker 4: can often be different, and I think we just need

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Speaker 4: to recognize that and know that everyone in that environment

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Speaker 4: has a different experience of where it's come from.

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Speaker 2: How do you as a players association navigate the fact

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Speaker 2: that you've got players on both sides of this issue.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, look, we have to represent all players in that

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Speaker 4: so we will be representing all players views to a

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Speaker 4: netwra New Zealand around this process. So I think that's

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Speaker 4: really important role that we're here to be the players

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Speaker 4: most and to make sure that the players are heard

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Speaker 4: throughout this process.

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Speaker 2: So even though that is your role to play, you

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Speaker 2: are the player's voice. You don't have a specific role

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Speaker 2: in the mediation. You don't present the players views during

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Speaker 2: the mediation.

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Speaker 4: The mediation, no, that's up to New Zealand and Dame

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Speaker 4: Nolan Tato and it's an employment process and we're not

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Speaker 4: part of that process and it's not for us to

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Speaker 4: determine who the coach is here. Our role is to

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Speaker 4: put feedback forward from the players, and it's an employment

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Speaker 4: context and it's the employer to determine that.

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Speaker 2: All right, I'm just trying to get my head run

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Speaker 2: the process here, Steff. So you give feedback on behalf

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Speaker 2: of the players to Netborn New Zealand and they in

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Speaker 2: turn use that as part of the mediation process. Is

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Speaker 2: that right?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, Like, we've provided feedback initially front as part of

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Speaker 4: that process, and the players have also been with facilitator

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Speaker 4: meetings between the players and net when we yearn around

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Speaker 4: the process. So that's how it's played up.

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Speaker 2: How many players are involved here, You're like, we can't.

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Speaker 4: Really comment on the specifics of the process, but there

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Speaker 4: is no doubt that we would have hoped initially that

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Speaker 4: more players were involved in the process and that more

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Speaker 4: players were spoken to it. But that is Netble New

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Speaker 4: Zealand process to run, and that was not how it

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Speaker 4: was played out.

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Speaker 2: So just expand on that for us. Then they're just

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Speaker 2: taking just a small portion of player views into their

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Speaker 2: thinking here.

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Speaker 4: No. Sorry, Initially, as part of the initial arm review,

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Speaker 4: our position was that they should have taken the view

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Speaker 4: of every player and that's how the reviews should have

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Speaker 4: played out now every player has had the opportunity to

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Speaker 4: have their opinion and you taken forward by Netwen Zond.

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Speaker 2: Have some players changed their view?

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Speaker 4: No, Look, I think players obviously at different points and times,

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Speaker 4: have different experiences and their views may differ at different times.

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Speaker 4: And I think we've seen with the public process and

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Speaker 4: everything that's played out that at times people have had

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Speaker 4: different views and different ways of looking at things.

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Speaker 2: What is your preferred outcome here, Steph?

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Speaker 4: I love we don't ever a preferred outcomes. That's up

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Speaker 4: to Ned when you's Ellen and Dame Nolean. We're not

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Speaker 4: here to determine an outcome from this process. And we

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Speaker 4: really here us for our members to be really operating

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Speaker 4: in a really hard working, professional, healthy environment which really

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Speaker 4: allowed to thrive. And I think that's probably really important

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Speaker 4: here in terms of making sure that that that's what

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Speaker 4: we have. So it is definitely not our role to

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Speaker 4: determine what the outcom is.

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Speaker 2: So you don't have a view on whether you think

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Speaker 2: Dame Nolean should or will come back as head coach.

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Speaker 4: No, we don't have a view, all.

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Speaker 2: Right, Steph. Thank you very much for joining us. Steph

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Speaker 2: on there New Zealand Netbule Players Association Executive manager. Before that,

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Speaker 2: Netble New Zealand CEO Jenny Whitey.

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