Wootten and board chairman Alastair Carruthers have addressed a range of issues, including the future of the domestic competition, NNZ’s workplace culture and rebuilding trust with the netball community.
Jennah Wootten at the announcement of her appointment today as chief executive of Netball. Photo / Photosport
Wootten played netball growing up and told the Herald that a combination of scale, passion and purpose motivated her to take the role.
“There’s no denying netball’s had an incredibly challenging past 12 months, and from the outside looking in, it’s very obvious how tough that has been for everyone. But it’s also very clear that the board has already started to make some steps forward in reflection of those challenges.
“My announcement today is another step forward, and I’m sure that, together with the netball community, we are going to be able to tackle the challenges into the future and ensure that we’re looking at bright and big things in the years ahead.”
Carruthers said they have done their due diligence on Wootten and incoming board members.
“The new board is going to make sure that Jennah attends all of our meetings and is adjacent to every decision we make in the coming weeks. The induction is live, and it’s happening already.”
Three board positions remain vacant, though Curruthers expects to announce two of them next week.
Netball NZ chairman Alastair Carruthers.
The immediate challenge facing the new leadership is the ANZ Premiership’s future. The domestic competition is on a one-year deal, with NNZ reaching into its cash reserves to make ends meet, and the players taking a 20 per cent pay cut.
There is no broadcast deal in place for next year, and Carruthers said NNZ was surveying options.
“We know that players need certainty. We’re in conversations about broadcast rights. I can’t go into any of those details because they are commercially sensitive, but we are very keen that netball has an audience, and audiences really want to see netball too. So as soon as we have something to share on that, we will.”
In October, six current and former NNZ staff spoke to the Herald with concerns about the organisation’s workplace culture and called for new leadership.
The sources, none of whom wished to be named, described a challenging and secretive environment.
They called for an overhaul of the board to introduce greater accountability.
Carruthers said he had spent a lot of time in the office since joining.
“I think the culture feels really strong. Jane’s done really good work on leading people through some painful moments, but they are really engaged. My personal commitment to culture is to be present and to answer questions and to be real and actually to go to netball.”
Wootten will take over after the Silver Ferns’ Commonwealth Games campaign. Photo / Photosport
Wootten said she loved building a strong organisational culture.
“When I talk about high-performing cultures, to me, that’s one that feels like family. You spend so much time with the people you work with, you want to feel really connected and special.
“I’ve only just this afternoon had an opportunity to connect with a couple of the team here in the office. We’ve talked about baking, we’ve talked about tracksuits, we’ve talked about Synthony, and I think that gives you a good indication of my leadership style. I want to connect with the team, I want to understand who they are as people, and I’m sure together we will continue to build the organisational culture here.”
Patterson admitted last month that trust needed to be rebuilt between NNZ and the wider community.
Wootten said trust was built through action, and wanted to continue the work Patterson had started.
“I intend to do a lot of listening when I start. I want to make sure I’m connecting with everyone within netball – our staff, coaches, athletes, life members, our zones, our fans. I want to deeply understand their perspectives because the more I can understand and hear from the netball community, the better equipped I’m going to be to support the Netball New Zealand team in responding to those views, living up to those aspirations, and ensuring success into the future.”
Both Wootten and Carruthers watched last year’s drama unfold from the outside.
“It looked really painful, and it was painful,” Carruthers said. “But I am really impressed by what the board is doing to put in place new systems, new learning for the new board, and I have huge respect for Dame Noeline. She is working really hard on the selections for Glasgow, and I know that it’s going to be a mighty campaign.”
Carruthers admits it is a challenging environment for netball.
“We’re trying to resource sport through broadcasting rights, sponsorship and player payment systems. It’s all very stretched. We’ve got a cost-of-living crisis that is challenging everybody. But I think the game itself is in incredibly good heart. 102 years of high-performance netball. It’s gone through two world wars, a depression, more recessions in my lifetime than I can remember.”
While Wootten is yet to meet Taurua, Carruthers spent an hour with the Silver Ferns coach last week.
“It was absolutely delightful, and I’ve got the real privilege of joining Jane and the team and the coaches, up in Glasgow in seven or eight weeks, and I’m really looking forward to being courtside for that.”
NNZ still needs to appoint a new permanent head of high performance, with Chelsea Lane acting in an interim capacity.
“That is one of many things that need to be done at pace,” Carruthers said. “We’re looking at that at the moment, but it’ll be right on the board’s priority list.”
Wootten joins NNZ from Aktive, where she has been chief executive since 2021. She was previously chief executive of the World Masters Games 2017, which featured 28,000 participants across 28 sports.
Alongside her role with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, she is an independent director of Perpetual Guardian Holdings and Perpetual Trust. She was recognised with the prestigious Sport NZ CK Doig Leadership Award in 2024 for outstanding leadership across New Zealand’s sport and recreation sector.
Wootten said she had a strong connection to netball, having played as a child.
“My nana used to walk me down to Te Pai courts in Henderson on a Saturday morning. I played for Swanson Primary, and we had a glorious mustard T-shirt. I loved netball from that moment, and I’ve continued to follow the sport with great interest. Having the opportunity to connect with the sport in this new capacity is just an immense privilege.”
Carruthers said he opened up about his connection to netball at a staff meeting last week.
“I got interrogated for 45 minutes, and I think the second question was, ‘What was your first game?’ I don’t think it was my first game, but I have a vivid memory in 1978 of my fifth-form sister playing at Wellington Girls’ College.
“One of the things I love about netball is, while it is an incredible code for women and girls, whole families are involved. Boys watch it, dads go, grandads are there, and this is a sport that should be and is treasured by everyone.”
Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates on rugby and netball for Gold Sport.