Nine To Noon Sport Editor Dana Johannsen
Mar 19, 2026
Dana Johannsen, RNZ sports editor and journalist covering cricket, rugby, athletics and integrity issues. She discusses the NZ20 vs Big Bash dilemma and board tensions. They talk about the White Ferns and Black Caps doubleheader action. Clubs ditching junior fees to boost participation gets attention. She also flags athletes to watch at the World Indoor Championships and delays in sport integrity probes.
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Cricket Faces A Generational League Decision
- New Zealand Cricket deferred a generational choice between creating an NZ20 franchise league or entering a single team in Australia's Big Bash League.
- Deloitte's feasibility found Big Bash gives stronger commercial certainty while NZ20 offers better high-performance pathways and player plus association support.
Board Factionalism Threatens Player Relations
- The board conflict resurfaced around the NZ20 vs Big Bash split after former CEO Scott Weinick's departure, exposing deep factions.
- Players like Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra publicly backed NZ20, raising risk of player-board relationship damage if Big Bash is chosen.
Clubs Scrapped Junior Fees Using Trust Interest
- Nelson and Counties clubs used interest from a Silver Lake deal trust to scrap junior rugby fees, aiming to reduce family cost pressure.
- Counties reported a 5% junior player lift and Newlands in Wellington saw sustained benefit from fee removal.