In a further email obtained by the Herald, Murdoch wrote to the NZC board last Monday, seeking a full unredacted copy of the secret Deloitte Report, which looked into the options for a T20 league.
Murdoch, an NZC life member, former White Ferns captain and coach, former NZ hockey representative, Olympian, and NZC president from 2022-25, was interviewed for the report and said the interviewer told her a copy would be made available.
“In September 2025 I was interviewed by Deloitte’s as part of their investigation, on behalf of NZC, into various pathways for T20 cricket, including private ownership, a revamped Super Smash, and the possibility of entering a New Zealand team into Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL),” she said in her email, dated September 28.
“I, like others, am deeply concerned about the lack of transparency around the publication of the report and the reluctance to publicly release the recommendations contained in the report.
“I have previously raised genuine concerns about the lack of transparency by NZC in certain matters. I have attached copies of previous correspondence which were either personally compiled or which I was a signatory to.”
The Herald has also obtained that correspondence, including the email she wrote to the NZC board while she was still president last October, and another letter, signed by herself, Hadlee and two other former New Zealand players, Stephen Boock and Martin Snedden, last December.
The four NZC life members wrote to the NZC board, major associations, the cricket players association and the NZ20 establishment committee to register their “dismay at what appears to be the growing dysfunction within New Zealand’s cricket family and the harm this risks to cricket’s reputation and leadership of the game.”
“We urge all of those involved to stop ‘playing the man’ and instead focus solely on ‘playing the ball’ (ie, on professionally assessing the [T20] proposal and making good decisions based on the investigation outcomes.”
In her earlier email to the board as president, Murdoch reiterated the importance of clear boundaries between governance and management. “When we step too far into operational matters, we blur those lines and undermine the people we’ve trusted to lead day to day. Respect for roles and responsibilities is not optional – it’s fundamental to good governance.”
The Herald approached Murdoch for comment on Saturday after receiving the correspondence from a source, and after publishing on Friday the letter from Sir Richard Hadlee in which he said he was “embarrassed” to have his personal name attached to NZ Cricket.
Lesley Murdoch was reluctant to comment further – she reiterated her love for the game and said she felt protective of it.
“I just don’t get why we can’t see the Deloitte report when we were interviewed for it and were told we would get a copy. What are they hiding? I worry about where the game’s going, who’s got control of it, and I worry about grassroots.
“It’s sad for the game.
“It’s so very sad for cricket here and for what, some transparency in decision-making.”
NZ Cricket responds
NZ Cricket’s board comprises chair Diana Puketapu-Lyndon, deputy chair Kevin Malloy, and directors Bill Birnie, Anna Campbell, Mike Devonshire, Alison Shanks and Roger Twose.
The Herald sought a full interview with NZC chief executive Geoff Allott and/or Puketapu-Lyndon on Saturday, but this was refused.
The Herald is seeking answers to specific questions and concerns, following revelations of the Hadlee letter on Friday.
The Herald also wanted to question Allott and/or Puketapu-Lyndon about the points raised by Murdoch in the leaked correspondence from last year and last week.
Instead, NZC issued a generic response that largely ignored the questions and assertions, including the comment and question about what NZ Cricket was trying to hide.
“Geoff attempted to call Lesley earlier in the week and has since been in email correspondence with her about catching up with her to discuss her private letter,” said an NZC spokesman.
The spokesman said he had spoken to Allott and Puketapu-Lyndon on Saturday morning and there had been no developments overnight in regard to the CEO and board roles – ie, none of them planned to step down despite Hadlee’s request in his own letter.
“The Deloitte Report remains confidential and the remainder of your questions are covered in Geoff’s email from yesterday.”
The Herald approached the NZ Cricket board and executive with questions at 2pm on Friday about the Hadlee letter, and followed up with an email at 2.26pm.
At 2.44pm, Allott sent the Hadlee letter to NZC’s major associations, along with a cover email outlining his and NZC’s position.
At 3.31pm, NZC sent that Allott letter to the Herald, as its response to our earlier questions.
The NZC spokesman said yesterday that Allott had not “received any negative feedback from the network following [Friday’s] correspondence and he remains confident that the network is aligned and heading in the right direction”.
Do you know more? Please email Shayne Currie – shayne.currie@nzherald.co.nz
Hadlee letter
In his own letter to Allott and board members, Hadlee said NZC was “not an organisation that I recognise any more”.
He said that they needed to look at themselves and “consider whether changes need to be made to lead NZC into the future”.
Hadlee also said he was prepared to consider approaching other life members, asking for their support in taking legal action if the organisation did not release to them the Deloitte Report.
“I write to you today to express my disappointment at the current state of NZC,” Hadlee says in the letter dated September 20 and obtained by the Herald.
“It is not an organisation that I recognise any more, and it is not an understatement to say that I am embarrassed to have my personal name attached to the organisation at present.
“The lack of transparency around decision-making, the loss of key staff, the poor staff morale, poor media relations, poor public profile, the financial losses, and the lack of respect shown to, and lack of information shared with, NZC members such as the District Associations and life members, is incredibly upsetting for me to observe.”
NZ Cricket responded to the letter on Friday, with Allott defending the organisation and painting an optimistic picture of the sport’s future.
Allott wrote that Hadlee was “one of the greatest players our country has produced”.
“He has put his name to his concerns and raised them with us directly, which we respect and take seriously.
“Earlier this week, after I returned from my ICC meetings in Dubai, I went and sat down with Sir Richard at his home to discuss his concerns. Sir Richard is a hero of mine and someone I look up to immensely, and I wanted the opportunity to speak face to face.
“It was an open and honest conversation. It’s been a challenging year for NZC, and I acknowledged that. There has been much change, the cricket landscape is evolving rapidly, and NZC is being challenged to adapt.
“I took him through the progress with NZ20 and its incredible potential to transform cricket in this country from grassroots to the elite. I also explained the confidential nature of the Deloitte process, listened to his concerns, and I’ve agreed to increase our communication and engagement moving forward. We don’t agree on everything, and that’s okay. They’re genuine differences of opinion from people who care deeply about the game.”
Hadlee reiterated to the Herald that he wanted to see the board step aside.
Hadlee said some people might ask whether his concerns were justified. “My answer is unequivocally yes.”
“Over many decades, I have had a deep connection with cricket in New Zealand, both personally and through my family’s involvement in the game,” he said.
“As I outlined in my letter, the Hadlee family has had almost 90 years of involvement with New Zealand cricket, including as players, selectors, administrators and supporters of the game. It is from that perspective that I wrote to the CEO and board.
“My concerns are about governance, transparency, accountability and the future direction of cricket in New Zealand. Those concerns have developed over an extended period and are based on a series of events and decisions that, when viewed collectively, do not paint a positive picture of the current state of the organisation.
“I remain disappointed by the lack of transparency surrounding significant decisions that have been made by the board.”
A turbulent year
The revelations of the letters from Hadlee and Murdoch follow a turbulent year for NZ Cricket.
Chief executive Scott Weenink resigned in December last year and officially left the organisation in late January. That followed a widely reported political power struggle over the future shape of the domestic game.
Weenink was effectively chased from the role after a falling out with NZC’s six major associations (Northern Districts, Auckland, Central Districts, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago) and the New Zealand Cricket Players Association, specifically over their push and support for the breakout, private franchise T20 competition.
A subsequent, savage internal NZC staff survey, leaked to the NZ Herald, took aim at the board.
A summary accompanying the staff survey said: “A significant portion of staff believe Scott was not supported by the board and was effectively forced out due to external pressure from parts of the network (major associations, cricket players association, NZ20 stakeholders). Many comments explicitly state he ‘did not want to resign’ and was ‘left with no alternative’.”
There were dozens of individual comments in the survey, many of them disparaging of the board. Some staff were said to be “in tears”, “visibly upset” and “deeply unsettled”.
“There have been no actions from the board to give me confidence in the organisation’s direction in the short to medium term. I am fully supportive of the SLT [senior leadership team] but am very disappointed in a weak board,” said one staff member.
The Herald put these concerns and claims to Puketapu-Lyndon in March. She said at the time: “We’re not comfortable discussing documents that were never intended for public discourse and will therefore decline to elaborate on your questions regarding staff surveys or private correspondence”.
The Herald subsequently revealed that the board had hired a forensic investigator to try to find out who had leaked the material, as well as other documents.
According to sources, some staff believed the move was a “witch hunt” – it is understood the investigation did not find any evidence that pinpointed a leaker or leakers.
Editor-at-large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME, including managing editor, NZ Herald editor and Herald on Sunday editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.