Exit payments could bring NZF’s costs to $400K
AUCKLAND: The fallout from the messy departures of exCEO Andy Martin and former Football Ferns coach Andreas Heraf is expected to cost New Zealand Football close to $400,000.
Despite both men recently leaving their roles with the embattled organisation under a cloud, the Herald on Sunday understands the pair received payouts of a combined $150,000 as part of their exit arrangement with NZF.
The ongoing investigation into the ‘‘conduct and culture’’ at NZF, launched after threats of a mass player exodus, and associated costs could drain up to $150,000 from the coffers.
There are also expected to be other costs out of the review, related to employment and human resource issues and compensation payments.
It is a big hit for NZF, which has to spread its limited budget across multiple national teams and domestic competitions.
Martin ‘‘retired’’ from his post on June 29 after four years at the helm of NZF. His turbulent tenure culminated in NZF being forced to issue a public apology to former Ferns manager Claire Hamilton after Martin had earlier claimed her departure was due to performance issues.
Hamilton had reportedly raised concerns about issues during the Ferns’ disastrous camp in Spain in March.
Heraf resigned last Tuesday. His dual positions at NZF (he was also national technical director) had seemed untenable after 12 members of the Ferns wrote letters of complaint about his conduct, adding they would be unavailable for New Zealand while he was in the job.
Martin has refused to respond to requests for comment since his exit, although it is understood he will be participating in the ongoing review.
NZF president Deryck Shaw declined to detail the specific arrangements around the exits of Martin and Heraf, or confirm if settlements were paid.
‘‘It’s an employment process and I can’t comment on the details because of that. It’s an agreement between the two parties,’’ he said.
‘‘They have both resigned, and left within the terms and provisions of their contractual arrangements. We had a duty of care to meet those, which we have done.’’
Martin’s contract was drawn up by the previous board and chairman, while Heraf’s contractual arrangements were negotiated by Martin himself, without input from the board.
The review, conducted by employment lawyer Phillipa Muir, is expected to cost more than $100,000. There will also be other associated costs, plus the settlements paid to Martin and Heraf, which could bring the total to $400,000.
Shaw could not comment on specifics but acknowledged the review was ‘‘not a cheap exercise’’.
‘‘That’s the reality of the situation,’’ he said. ‘‘We have costs and obligations we have to meet but we are careful around our financial management.’’
He insisted the competitions and national teams programme would not be affected by the outlay.
‘‘There won’t be anything compromised, we are very clear on that. We have been prudent as an organisation and we have reserves.’’ — NZME