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Speaker 1: Now there's another key figure in New Zealand Cricket who

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Speaker 1: is quitting. Players Association boss Heath Mills is stepping down.

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Speaker 1: He's been in the job for twenty five years, so

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Speaker 1: it's a significant departure. This follows the exit of New

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Speaker 1: Zealand Cricket Chief Executive Scott Weennick in December. Heath Mills

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Speaker 1: is with US now, high.

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Speaker 2: Heath afternon Heather.

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Speaker 1: Why are you quitting?

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Speaker 2: Ah, The time's right. It's been a long stint coming

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Speaker 2: up twenty six years and I've been thinking about it

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Speaker 2: for a little while, and primarily i've I'm the chairman

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Speaker 2: of the World Crickets Association and that role is growing

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Speaker 2: and I need to put more focus into that. So

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Speaker 2: it wasn't possible to continue to do both roles. So

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Speaker 2: it's time for me to move on here and let

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Speaker 2: someone else come in and take the association through its

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Speaker 2: next phase. I'm pretty excited about the change.

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Speaker 1: You know that everybody is seeing ghosts here because you're

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Speaker 1: just so close to stitching together the deal for NZ

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Speaker 1: twenty which you are leading, and then you leave.

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Speaker 2: Well we know that goes aren't real. But yeah, look,

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Speaker 2: I'm you know, the players are very passionate about n

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Speaker 2: Z twenty and I think they're right to be. And

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Speaker 2: now we're looking forward to New Zealand Cricket making a

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Speaker 2: decision shortly about what it wants to do. It's not

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Speaker 2: those two things aren't connected, you know, it would be

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Speaker 2: simply wrong to connect the two things. I'll continue to

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Speaker 2: be passionate about twenty for the players number half of

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Speaker 2: the players for the next three or four months and

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Speaker 2: probably long into the future. But the time's right for

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Speaker 2: me now to step aside as CEO of the of

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Speaker 2: the New Zealand Player Association. It's it's been hard decision

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Speaker 2: to make as it's been part of my life for

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Speaker 2: so long and I've loved representing players and I've been

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Speaker 2: blessed that they've wanted me to look after them. So

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Speaker 2: it's been tough, but it is the right thing to

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Speaker 2: do and I need to, as I said earlier, focus

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Speaker 2: more on the on the world role in the months

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Speaker 2: and years ahead.

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Speaker 1: Now you're off to work with Strata Collective. Has this

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Speaker 1: got anything to do with m Z twenty.

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Speaker 2: No. No, that's a great group of people who have

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Speaker 2: set up a new advisory business and I'm really keen

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Speaker 2: to join them in the months ahead. It won't be

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Speaker 2: to the second half of the year in lock to

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Speaker 2: do more things actually outside of sport. Potentially, if I

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Speaker 2: have skills that people may want in the business world sector,

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Speaker 2: I'd be keen to do something a bit different. We

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Speaker 2: might end up doing a bit of stuff and sport

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Speaker 2: as well, which would be good. But yeah, that'll be

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Speaker 2: the second half of my time.

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Speaker 1: You might end up doing something in n Z twenty.

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Speaker 2: I don't think so. No, I don't think I have

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Speaker 2: the school sets for end Z twenty.

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Speaker 1: I'm going to that one. Can I tell you why

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Speaker 1: I'm asking you this question, Heath, because there is a

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Speaker 1: rumor going around which has already reached me, which is

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Speaker 1: how fast it's traveling. And it's based on the following right.

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Speaker 1: Strata collective was incorporated yesterday. The registered office is Tavern

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Speaker 1: Dallen Partners Limited. One of the director that's a law firm.

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Speaker 1: One of the directors is a lawyer and has been

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Speaker 1: working with you guys at n Z twenty. They are

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Speaker 1: the law firm registered for the company n Z twenty

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Speaker 1: General Partner. So people have stitched together and they've gone

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Speaker 1: The new job has got to do with n Z

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Speaker 1: twenty and NZ twenty is therefore happening.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, well that's a good story, but that's not true.

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Speaker 2: And I hope in Z twenty is happening, but I

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Speaker 2: won't have anything to do with it moving forward there.

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Speaker 2: There won't be a role for me there. They'll be

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Speaker 2: up to whoever's running it. And Dom McKinnon's cheering that,

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Speaker 2: and there's a project manager Andrew robertson there now and

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Speaker 2: I imagine Little Bullet's own team if forgets the go ahead,

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Speaker 2: that might not get the hot go ahead, Heather.

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Speaker 1: But there won't be there No brainer, isn't it. I mean,

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Speaker 1: at the moment we're running the super smash that's a dud.

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Speaker 1: So why wouldn't we What is the hold up? Why

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Speaker 1: are they not saying yes to n Z twenty.

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Speaker 2: Oh look, look, we need to respect New Zealand Cricket

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Speaker 2: and the process they're following. They're working through a process,

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Speaker 2: they've got the Lord involved, as we're all well aware,

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Speaker 2: they're looking at their options. They've got a number of

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Speaker 2: stakeholders who need to be consulted and need to be

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Speaker 2: across what's happening. So we need to respect that process.

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Speaker 2: We our position is pretty clear. The players have been

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Speaker 2: pushing us for this probitizes league in New Zealand for

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Speaker 2: some time. We know it works works all around the

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Speaker 2: world in smaller markets than here in New Zealand. It's

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Speaker 2: for the biggest growth part of our sport actually is

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Speaker 2: in the private franchise league. So we strongly believe in

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Speaker 2: having a competition that has a national footprint as well,

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Speaker 2: that that inspires fans and cricket communities across the country

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Speaker 2: and in fact we think it would be great for

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Speaker 2: New Zealand inc not just cricket in New Zealand, so

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Speaker 2: we're passionate about it. We hope that that's the decision

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Speaker 2: that New Zealand Cricket gets to in time, and it'll

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Speaker 2: be great. If it's not, then so be it. We'll

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Speaker 2: deal with that at the time. As for me, I

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Speaker 2: hope they get very very capable people involved with n

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Speaker 2: Z twenty. There'll be promoters and marketers, people who will

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Speaker 2: get fans along and get and engage in the sport

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Speaker 2: new fans. Hopefully it won't be me either.

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Speaker 1: Is it true that Brendan McCullum may come back and

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Speaker 1: spearhead along with Ben Stokes The Queenstown franchise.

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Speaker 2: I have no idea Brendan McCullum is he's aware of

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Speaker 2: NZ twenty in the concept is there are a lot

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Speaker 2: of past players. We have a lot of past players

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Speaker 2: who are very successful and global cricket connected to a

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Speaker 2: lot of team owners. I don't know who will end

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Speaker 2: up with the teams. I don't know if there'll be

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Speaker 2: one in Queenstown, while they do know, will I own

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Speaker 2: visage the NZ twenty will run the tender process. I

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Speaker 2: do know that there is significant interest from overseas people

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Speaker 2: and wanting to own cricket teams in New Zealand. Significant.

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Speaker 2: It's blome me away actually and so I managed managed.

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Speaker 2: I imagine there'll be a robust tender process. It will

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Speaker 2: be very transparent. And wherever the teams are based and

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Speaker 2: whoeverdvis them, I don't know, but there's interest and it

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Speaker 2: will be good for our country, not just not just

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Speaker 2: sport and cricket.

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Speaker 1: Brilliant Heath, listen, go well and thank you so much

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Speaker 1: for your time. Look after yourself. That's Heath Mills, the

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Speaker 1: New Zealand Cricket Players Association Chief executives ANOUNCEDI standing down

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Speaker 1: for more from Heather du Classy Allen Drive. Listen live

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Speaker 1: to news talks.

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Speaker 2: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast

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Speaker 2: on iHeartRadio