Up the creek and the paddle is long gone

[Archangel2]

Myst these are the things that really take our game down...Nepotism at the top!
And dont feel that sorry for Rayray I'm sure he's getting his cut from someone!
I agree with you but you gotta wonder which is worse Lowey and Chalmers or the little cartel working out of the Auckland Office...Man if this lot were any closer to each other they would be doing handjobbies for each other.

 

[Micistm]

Cheers Arch, that's damn interesting stuff. I'd better not follow it too much, it just ends up breaking the heart.

 

[kier]

I'm gutted to see the mis-management in NZRL - actually, I'd go as far as to say criminal mis-management. I just hope a proper forensic accountant is brought in and all the dirty washing from the past ten years is dragged out into the sunlight. It's a disgrace and a slap in the face to every volunteer and player ever involved in the sport in in NZ.

The NZRL should be run by an independent board/CEO - (look at the recent positive developments in GBRL since Richard Lewis took control). Accounts should be transparent and the governing body should be run for the benefit of those around the country - not those in some shady cabal at RLHQ.

I've lost faith in those running the game - I sincerely hope Ray Haffenden does what's necessary to restore integrity to NZRL.

 

[Micistm]

Yep, said it before and will say it again, their intentions may (or may not) be in the right place, but for the game to move on a total clean out of this incestuous B.S has to take place. We need decent managers here, not yet more mates and RL buddies coming through the ranks. Nothing will change otherwise.

And I make no secret of my dislike for Lowe the RL person. Lowe the man might be a fine guy...but I suppose as the saying goes, no one is despised more than the hero that's let you down. Used to worship the guy during his stint up to Queensland coach. Then the guy lost the plot IMO. My respect for him went after the **** he was pulling when he wanted the Warriors, and he's gone downhill from there. Just my opinion ;-)

 

[Archangel2]

Just heard thru my Auckland 'Grapevine' (Gotta love the Dellies!)
That NZRL are moving the Goalposts to knobble Peter Mellars vote, seems that WRL will not get three votes this AGM but only one...

The NZRL yes the same NZRL that we all love and adore has decided in there jaundiced wisdom to use some beaurocratic red tape to stop Peter Mellars being elected and there is some rumour of some embarrassing questions that NZRL do not want the media to get there hands on...

Well I guess I better do some digging and find out what these questions are...five will get you ten that they will have something to do with Finance.

Once I know exactly what they are will post them and the complete story of just why WRL is only to get the one vote? From what I hear also it seems as though Gisborne has also been knobbled...I tell you all this lot are terrified of something getting out to the Leagues through the media...best I find out what they are.

Yet again another shining example of why you dont want this bunch of Cretins running our game.

 

[Micistm]

OMFG. That's all. OMFG.

How we do get this 'clicky club' dissolved? They just seem untouchable. I hate saying this out loud, and I'd never wish it, but in some ways it may be for the best if on the field we had a disasterous time for a while. Then maybe, just maybe, something would be done. But I doubt it. And it breaks the heart just thinking along those lines. But if we go well, and they can get support and funding...we'll just be going around in circles as we watch them pat each other on the back and piss away the success...again.

I am now an advocate of Aussie RL professionalism coming in and rescuing us. It's clear they are determined not to change on their own accord.

 

[kier]

Just heard thru my Auckland 'Grapevine' (Gotta love the Dellies!)
That NZRL are moving the Goalposts to knobble Peter Mellars vote, seems that WRL will not get three votes this AGM but only one...

The NZRL yes the same NZRL that we all love and adore has decided in there jaundiced wisdom to use some beaurocratic red tape to stop Peter Mellars being elected and there is some rumour of some embarrassing questions that NZRL do not want the media to get there hands on...

Well I guess I better do some digging and find out what these questions are...five will get you ten that they will have something to do with Finance.

Once I know exactly what they are will post them and the complete story of just why WRL is only to get the one vote? From what I hear also it seems as though Gisborne has also been knobbled...I tell you all this lot are terrified of something getting out to the Leagues through the media...best I find out what they are.

Yet again another shining example of why you dont want this bunch of Cretins running our game.

That's an absolute disgrace - for the first time in my life I feel like calling Radio Sport.

 

[Lossy]

I'd express my outrage but something tells me I'd miss out on really blowing-up in a wee while. If this eventuates I think I'd have to submit to Ozbash's way of thinking and hand over control to the NRL. No way can this mob be trusted.

 

[Archangel2]

Yeah and now it seems that Waikato which has over the 100 team mark has also lost two votes...From what I'm finding Welly lost its vote because either, they filled out a WRL player registration form that did not show ethnicicity on it...(OK I can see that maybe this is vitally important to NZRL for some reason or another...) but is it really a reason to take away someones voting rights, especially the slack that has been cut for some affiliates over the last few AGM's oh thats right they voted for SEL B and SEL P didn't they?

The other reason I'm hearing is that the NZRL appointed Management team appointed by Sel P when he was running NZRL(when they put WRL into review back in 2002) somehow they 'Forgot" to send the right forms up to NZRL....

The returning officer from what I'm hearing is none other than one T Maxwell...Who seems to have been put onto the joke of a board recently, I guess now why he was...to nitpick all opposition votes and all nominees to find a reason not to allow them on, if that doesn't work lets nobble there votes.

Will continue to dig on this as it seems there is a lot more to it...heard that b4 Chalmers went he got a independant report done into the state of the game and no-one on this present board wants it released to the Leagues...So its been hidden away(wouldn't be the first time this has happened)

Also I have heard they have a problem with a payment to a certain Auckland promoter...more on that as I find it. My question is if Haffenden is really intent on leading us out of this mess why does he not lay the report on the table and let the leagues decide.

Or is he protecting people within the NZRL Governance body and Management?
And just exactly what is "Special Projects" People? More Pub rorts or pokie deals?

 

[Micistm]

God, and I was just disgusted when Peter Leich said the NZRL wasn't returning Sponsors phone calls! That was just the tip of the unprofessional iceburg.
This so needs exposing. Yeah, it's kicking them when they're down...but IMO it has to be done to get the game back, and hopefully get it down the path of the professionalism it deserves. Heads have to start rolling, not crawling back under rocks for a while.

I would love to see this independant report in the Public Domain. There's little doubt it'll make for sick reading...but it's 'Alcoholic syndrome' -A problem has to be admitted to before the road to recovery can be started on. And if there was a cleanout, and the game was run properly by people knowing what they're doing, IMO the road would not be as long as it looks. League is a lot more followed in this country than many (Usually Union nuts!) seem to think!

 

[Archangel2]

Found out the report was done by Price Waterhouse...still digging.
Maybe one of the ex-independants have got it...Will try to find out.

 

[Micistm]

Good work, I look forward to seeing what you come up with

 

[Archangel2]

Something else of interest

Sunday Star Times
Steve Kilgallon rugby league writer.

Officials two-faced on league's woeful pokie dabblings


A question for Internal Affairs: Is the New Zealand Rugby League
under investigation or not? WHAT'S GOING on at the Department of
Internal Affairs? The government department has a division devoted to
trying to keep the world of poker machines - and who gets their
profits - clean.

For some years, Internal Affairs has consistently expressed an
interest in rugby league, a sport with an unhealthily close
relationship with the pokies.

Yet this week, Internal Affairs rejected a Sunday Star-Times
application to see details of their investigations into the NZRL - by
denying there is any investigation.

A letter from its secretary, Brendan Boyle, claims, "There is no
report with respect to any independent investigation of the NZRL."
Boyle said Internal Affairs' interest in league centred on the 2006
prosecution of two Wellington men on poker machine fraud charges,
which collapsed when the judge discharged them because the evidence
was not strong enough. Consequently, the "department has suspended
its interest in NZRL", says Boyle.

This is confusing. The Wellington trial fell over in early May 2006.
Yet on May 23 that year, Internal Affairs Minister Rick Barker denied
an Official Information Act request from one league identity for all
reports into the NZRL with the words "the investigation is still under way".
Confusing, because on May 22, then NZRL president Sel Bennett had
written to all life members saying Internal Affairs had "endorsed'
their systems and "the NZRL is not under investigation".

In the same year, Internal Affairs deputy secretary Andrew Secker
said the NZRL were investigated in 2003-2004 as a "corollary action"
to another investigation [the two Wellington men] but "what was
learned at that time raised sufficient concerns for the department to
consider revisiting New Zealand Rugby League, and its use of gaming
generated funds". And on March 30 last year, Internal Affairs manager
Geoff Owen said league remained an "open file". So a new question to
the Internal Affairs: Yes or no: is it investigating rugby league or not?

I'm concerned about Internal Affairs' interest in league because the
league has such a woeful record of dabbling in pubs and pokies. It
gave money to convicted poker machine fraudster Brent Todd (clearly
not a great idea in retrospect), ran its own unsuccessful gaming
trust, and bought one pub that it then sold for a $450,000 loss.

And it lingers On Friday the Star- Times obtained the league's 2007
accounts, which showed a loss of $1.7m. It lists one remaining pub
asset, Eddy's Bar in Wellington (worth $400,000) and a $50,000 loan
to a North Shore publican, Allan Vaughan.
In the press release admitting the loss, there was also a line noting
they had written off $1.04m owed from Rugby League NZ Limited, a
subsidiary of the league. RLNZ Ltd managed those failed pub dealings.

The accounts aren't good reading. The league spent about $1m more in
2007 than 2006, but had a net income drop of $400,000 and got
$800,000 less from the pokies than it had expected. It dispensed an
extra $200,000 in staff salaries, there was an extra $320,000 spent
on "governance" and a $100,000 increase in "events" spending plus
$400,000 more on "professional services".

Proffessional services isn't that what whores put on there credit card invoices? Must have been a lot of whoring going on in one way or another!!!!

 

[Micistm]

Jeez, that sounds dodgy as well. Internal Affairs does not have a great track record under Barker anyway...And is it just a coinincidence the secretary's name is 'Boyle'?!
Sorry, I just found that humourously ironic.

 

[Archangel2]

Report 1 The Fitzgerald Report

SUNDAY NEWS, 16 MAR 1997 NZRFL report slams staff By: FISHER David
SUPER League boss John Ribot read in his Australian office the dire state of NZ Rugby Football League's finances before anyone here knew.
Documents obtained by Sunday News show Super League auditor John Fitzgerald investigated the books in November before reporting back to Ribot in Sydney.
The Australian's report slated some of the NZRFL staff.
Sixteen days before the NZRFL board had the results of its own audit in December, Fitzgerald told Ribot: "Generally speaking the affairs of the NZRFL have been grossly mismanaged.
"A lack of leadership, the inability to see the freight train coming and an attitude Super League will come to the rescue have all contributed to this financial disaster."
When the financial reports of NZRFL were presented to its board on March 1 the league learnt $2.2 million had been lost in a year, and the organisation owed $3m.
The documents show NZRFL president Graham Carden was told by Super League it would not keep propping up the organisation without knowing the state of Kiwi league's finances.
Ribot faxed a letter to Carden on December 4 after receiving the auditor's report.
He said: "Having read the document, I believe there is some cause for major concern on the level of debt which appears to have accrued.
"I believe it is in everyones' best interests to keep this document confidential until we can discuss the matters contained therein."
Fitzgerald's report said:
* "The accounting system is totally inadequate.
* "Procedures are inadequate.
* "Business practices are outdated.
* "Accountability is non-existent.(Isn't it allways with these clowns?)
* "Responsibilities and lines of communication are unclear.
* "Some personnel are unsuitable or incompetent." (good to see some things dont change eh?)
He highlighted three staff problems:
* Executive director Mike Knowles was incompetent.
* Accountant John O'Connell was "out of his depth".
* Carden had a conflict of interest with his Sportsbiz company, but this had already been resolved.
NZRFL documents show Carden told the board in October Sportsbiz would shortly stop working for the NZRFL.
Last week Knowles and O'Connell described to Sunday News problems with the accounting system used in the NZRFL offices.
Knowles left his job on December 20 and Sunday News has confirmed he was paid $62,000 to quit.
He said on Thursday he was now working at the NZRFL offices in Newmarket doing general duties to help the game in whatever way he could.
Knowles said Sportsbiz had been contracted in 1995 to develop an accounting system because existing practices couldn't cope.
"I was the executive director and the bulk of the pressure I experienced related to the increased volumes of business, and an accounting system that wasn't coping."
The accounting system was again being changed to cope with the volume of business.
Of the state of league's finances, Knowles said: "I'm the executive director so it is my responsibility."
But of any payoff to leave, he said: "I can't comment on the circumstances I left the league. I resigned, it's obvious there was some difficulty."
O'Connell said his two years accounting experience was not enough to take charge of replacing the accounting system.
He'd worked long hours and weekends just to get some results from the system developed by Sportsbiz.
The cashbook system used was suitable for a small business run from home - not the NZRFL with its $7m-plus turnover.

So who were the rest of the Board Members then...and are any still hanging around RL?

Report 2 Arthur Anderson Report
From the same SUNDAY NEWS, article 16 MAR 1997 NZRFL report slams staff By: FISHER David
A report by Arthur Anderson auditors on December 20, later presented to the board, backed up most Super League findings and highlighted further concerns.
It said:
* The NZRFL books were so bad it was paying some bills twice and wasn't collecting money owed. Most of the $335,000 owed was 90 days old. Some debts were a year old.
* Contrary to law, some staff didn't have employment contracts.
* The NZRFL had no idea what holidays staff were owed.
* Filing tax returns for subsidiary companies was "a matter of urgency".
* Inland Revenue was considering prosecuting the Taranaki Rockets for not filing, but there were "no up to date records of company tax returns" for all 14 limited liability companies it owned.
* Accounts were so confused a review of the 1995 ledger included a $3m confusion over income.
* Not enough management control or accountability.

Again who were the rest of the Board Members then...and are any still hanging around RL?

Report 3 DIA Investigation Report August 2004

From the SST 9 March 2008
“A letter from its secretary, Brendon Boyle, claims, "There is no report with respect to any independent investigation of the NZRL."
Boyle said Internal Affairs' interest in league centred on the 2006 prosecution of two Wellington men on poker machine fraud charges, which collapsed when the judge discharged them because the evidence was not strong enough. Consequently, the "department has suspended its interest in NZRL", says Boyle.

This is pretty weird as reported in other posts here, The Wellington trial fell over in early May 2006. Yet on May 23 that year, Internal Affairs Minister Rick Barker denied an Official Information Act request from one league identity for all reports into the NZRL with the words "the investigation is still under way".


Report 4 Price Waterhouse Coopers Report

This is what Andrew Chalmers Acting Chairman, NZRL said in a newsletter dated 7 February 2007.

[3] INDEPENDENT NZRL GOVERNANCE GAP ANALYSIS COMPLETED
PriceWaterhouseCoopers has completed the Governance review as approved by the Board late last year and delivered their draft report well in advance of the 15 February deadline. The Board has accepted the report, and already the recommendations are being implemented.

As you might imagine the results have given us a number of recommendations that will be of assistance to our organization for the future. In some areas PWC was able to observe some of the changes that the NZRL has recently undertaken, and offer the NZRL further assistance with implementation.

As promised, we will deliver the results at our next Strategic Advisory Panel during the weekend of the 3 & 4th March. This will be further supplemented by an update review planned by PWC in around 90 days’ time.

Well been a few more days than 90 and still no sign of this report...guess it will join all the others in the NZRL shredder.
I would have thought that Rayray would have released it as he led us all into the light if it had damned Chalmers my guess is it damned others so it has been hidden away until shredded...

Questions have to be asked about these Reports why do they never see the light of day? Another issue really is who were the board members at the time? But I guess this is what Cordtz is meaning when he says there will be no 'Witchhunts' None of us want a 'Witchhunt' Petey but we do all want justice. Not yet another cover-up.

 

[Micistm]

Yep, finally! The NZRL can no longer say everyones picking on them. This basically confirms what everyone watching this train wreck has said for a long long time:
-Wrong people in wrong jobs, gross mismanagement, no accountibilty. It won't change IMO either no matter how many of these reports come out, until somehow they are forced to.
What a ****ing mess.