Allegations of favouritism, ghosting and body-shaming have emerged from the damning review of the Black Ferns culture and environment.
NZ Rugby has apologised, admitting there are several areas they haven't got right - including their treatment of veteran player Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate, whose explosive claims sparked the inquiry.
The review also revealed details of events that led to her public breakdown late last year.
Ngata-Aerengamate has been held up as the cultural leader of the Black Ferns, but her revelations have forced NZR to acknowledge it has let the team down.
"We apologise for not having provided all of these tools to our people to succeed, and we know and acknowledge we have a lot of hard work to do," said chief executive Mark Robinson.
NZ Rugby has confirmed 26 recommendations emerged from a review sparked by Ngata-Aerengamate's emotional social media post last December, which revealed details of her mental health battle during eight years in the Black Ferns.
She claimed the head coach told her "I had been selected, but didn’t deserve to be in the team"... "he was embarrassed for me"... and "I was picked only to play the guitar".
The hooker suffered a breakdown over non-selection on the Ferns' northern tour, which she described as "the final straw".
The review found she was then left alone for hours and suffered what was described as a "traumatic setback".
"What happened to Te Kura that night was not well managed or monitored, and should have been escalated," said review panelist Pip Muir.
But the review did not address whether Ngata-Aerengamate's allegations were true.
"That was something that is sitting within a restorative justice process we're working through at the moment," said Robinson.
The review showed many of her teammates shared her views and experiences, highlighting the need to dismantle an established "Pākehā world view" in an environment where about 50 percent of the players are Māori and 25 percent are Pacific Island.
"NZR should give consideration to establishing a central role, similar to the turanga kaumatua in the Māori All Blacks team."
Despite the allegations directed at leadership, coach Glenn Moore has been retained to lead the team through this year's World Cup in New Zealand.
"We have committed to increasing resource in the management team to support this," said Robinson. "Glenn is exceptionally skilled and experienced as a coach, and cares deeply about the Black Ferns."
Coupled with the team's disappointing onfield performance, he's now faced with reshaping the team culture, with a World Cup fast approaching.
