Basketball Australia and Basketball New Zealand Launch Trans-Tasman Integrity Partnership

Basketball Australia (BA) and Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) have today entered into a five-year shared services partnership, marking a new era of regional cooperation in sporting governance.

Under the landmark agreement, Basketball Australia’s specialist Integrity Unit will extend its operational capacity to support BBNZ in managing integrity, safeguarding, and compliance matters across the New Zealand basketball ecosystem.

The partnership represents a proactive shift toward cross-border standardisation in participant protection and ethical conduct.

Under the arrangement, BA Integrity will provide BBNZ with high-level support in critical areas including child safeguarding, investigations, match-fixing prevention, and anti-gambling education.

The collaboration also includes the implementation of advanced reporting mechanisms, whistleblowing protocols, and professional case management systems.

Emphasising that the move reflects the maturity of the sport’s internal systems and a commitment to collective leadership, Basketball Australia CEO, Matt Scriven, said: “Integrity, safeguarding and trust sit at the heart of our sport.”

“This partnership recognises that we are stronger when we work together, share expertise and invest in robust systems that protect everyone involved in basketball,” Scriven said.

Echoing his comment about the partnership, BBNZ CEO, Belinda Edwards, said: “This partnership allows Basketball New Zealand to strengthen our integrity capability by working closely with an experienced and highly regarded integrity team.” 

“It reinforces our commitment to safeguarding participants, upholding ethical standards and ensuring basketball remains a safe, fair and trusted sport at every level,” Edwards said.

The collaboration comes at a pivotal time for both organisations as they navigate the 2026–2030 strategic cycle.

For Basketball New Zealand, the agreement provides immediate access to world-class expertise and established infrastructure without the overhead of building an independent large-scale integrity department from the ground up.

The shared services model will involve regular reporting to BBNZ leadership and ongoing trend analysis to identify emerging risks within the Pacific region.

The initial five-year term includes scheduled reviews to ensure the partnership continues to meet the evolving needs of the broader basketball community.

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