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From Stuff :http://stuff.co.nz/sundaystartimes/4277465a6444.html
NZRL Chairman Andrew Chalmers is "unperturbed" by deep boardroom unrest that threatens to come to a head with an attempt to remove him at the next board meeting on December 7.
Director Vinnie Weir demonstrated the concerns of a growing anti-Chalmers faction when he told the Sunday Star-Times he would demand a full financial statement at that meeting from Chalmers after claims the league was more than $1m in debt.
Weir, a senior Fonterra executive, said the board had not been told the league's financial position. "We need some answers to questions. We don't know what the number is, how big it is, how small it is," he said. "What we see is what we read in the press, which is not a healthy way for a board to operate: to read in the press what you should know yourself.
"Unfortunately, we don't have as much disclosure of numbers as we should. We are waiting for answers and we need them ASAP ... if he doesn't provide the right answers then action will be taken."
While the NZRL's debts could presently sit well over the $1m mark and some think they're up to $1.8m, those figures are inflated because they do not include the Kiwis' international income, usually $1m a year.
Chalmers, in France with the Kiwis, refused to comment on the balance sheet, but did say: "Given that some members require clarity of the financial position, a formal statement will be made within a week or two, given I am not back yet."
While the chairman quelled some opposition at an advisory panel meeting in Wellington last month when plans for the domestic calendar were swiftly altered after protests, he failed to come up with a promised report on the game's financial health before leaving for England.
Auckland Rugby League chairman Cameron McGregor said the game needed "reassurance" that its finances were healthy. He hoped Chalmers had heeded his advice when he took the chairmanship that the game could not afford "any extravagances".
"I warned him at the time that everything he did was to be within financial responsibilities and I would be personally pretty disappointed if that was not the case," McGregor said.
Weir said the board had not approved all of the plethora of officials accompanying the Kiwis to England, including NZRL board member Neville Kesha, nor had they approved for some of the All Golds officials to stay on for the entire tour.
Some of Chalmers' critics have taken legal advice on how to use the league's new constitution against him. Removing him as chairman would be relatively straightforward, with the board's three independent directors not permitted to vote and only a four-two split of elected directors needed for a change.
Sources said former Kiwis manager Ray Haffenden is being lined up as a potential alternate chairman with Weir as his deputy. It is thought a third director, Peter Kerridge, is another concerned over Chalmers' role. Kerridge declined to comment, Haffenden didn't return calls while Weir said he wasn't aware of such a move.
Chalmers does have vice-chairman Phil Campbell's support, leaving Kesha as the decisive vote in any poll. Kesha, vice-chairman of Auckland, will likely come under pressure from the district, who have been critical of Chalmers' leadership, to vote against him.
NZRL Chairman Andrew Chalmers is "unperturbed" by deep boardroom unrest that threatens to come to a head with an attempt to remove him at the next board meeting on December 7.
Director Vinnie Weir demonstrated the concerns of a growing anti-Chalmers faction when he told the Sunday Star-Times he would demand a full financial statement at that meeting from Chalmers after claims the league was more than $1m in debt.
Weir, a senior Fonterra executive, said the board had not been told the league's financial position. "We need some answers to questions. We don't know what the number is, how big it is, how small it is," he said. "What we see is what we read in the press, which is not a healthy way for a board to operate: to read in the press what you should know yourself.
"Unfortunately, we don't have as much disclosure of numbers as we should. We are waiting for answers and we need them ASAP ... if he doesn't provide the right answers then action will be taken."
While the NZRL's debts could presently sit well over the $1m mark and some think they're up to $1.8m, those figures are inflated because they do not include the Kiwis' international income, usually $1m a year.
Chalmers, in France with the Kiwis, refused to comment on the balance sheet, but did say: "Given that some members require clarity of the financial position, a formal statement will be made within a week or two, given I am not back yet."
While the chairman quelled some opposition at an advisory panel meeting in Wellington last month when plans for the domestic calendar were swiftly altered after protests, he failed to come up with a promised report on the game's financial health before leaving for England.
Auckland Rugby League chairman Cameron McGregor said the game needed "reassurance" that its finances were healthy. He hoped Chalmers had heeded his advice when he took the chairmanship that the game could not afford "any extravagances".
"I warned him at the time that everything he did was to be within financial responsibilities and I would be personally pretty disappointed if that was not the case," McGregor said.
Weir said the board had not approved all of the plethora of officials accompanying the Kiwis to England, including NZRL board member Neville Kesha, nor had they approved for some of the All Golds officials to stay on for the entire tour.
Some of Chalmers' critics have taken legal advice on how to use the league's new constitution against him. Removing him as chairman would be relatively straightforward, with the board's three independent directors not permitted to vote and only a four-two split of elected directors needed for a change.
Sources said former Kiwis manager Ray Haffenden is being lined up as a potential alternate chairman with Weir as his deputy. It is thought a third director, Peter Kerridge, is another concerned over Chalmers' role. Kerridge declined to comment, Haffenden didn't return calls while Weir said he wasn't aware of such a move.
Chalmers does have vice-chairman Phil Campbell's support, leaving Kesha as the decisive vote in any poll. Kesha, vice-chairman of Auckland, will likely come under pressure from the district, who have been critical of Chalmers' leadership, to vote against him.
