Aitken's comments come after Netball New Zealand bent its rules earlier this week and allowed English international Rachel Dunn to replace pregnant Canterbury Tactix shooter Jodi Brown.
That decision is at odds with Aitken's preference for the New Zealand ANZ Championship franchises to be made up solely of New Zealand players.
The issue of player eligibility was a major sticking point long before the first centre pass was thrown in the inaugural tournament.
Discussions between the players' association and the tournament organisers eventually settled on allowing the New Zealand teams to field two players who were not eligible to play for the Silver Ferns, as long as one of those players was a New Zealand resident.
That meant teams could include players such as Cathrine Latu or Frances Solia, who, despite representing other countries, have played most of their netball in New Zealand.
In Australia, teams have been allowed to sign two international players to ensure they remain competitive.
But when the Tactix lost the services of Brown, Netball New Zealand did a back flip on its decision and allowed the Canterbury side to sign Dunn.
That ruling has disappointed Southern Steel chief executive Julie Paterson.
"I don't believe it is fair that the rules change partway through the competition," Paterson explained.
"If the rules are wrong they need to be amended obviously, but at the end of the competition when it is fair for all teams.
"But I don't have an issue with Netball New Zealand wanting New Zealand teams to be competitive."
With her national coaching hat on, Aitken has a different take.
"As national coach my first choice would be that there were no imports in the ANZ Championship and we actually had 60 New Zealand players out there," she said.
"But I'm also very mindful of (a) the commercial realities and (b) ensuring the sustainability of the competition. There does have to be a bit of give and take."
Aitken said the decision to allow the Tactix to sign Dunn was understandable given the circumstances.
"It is one thing to bring a young player in at the start and have three months of training to work with them.
But quite different midway through the tournament," she explained.
However, Aitken said Netball New Zealand needed to strike a balance between player development and the competitiveness of the franchises.
"It is a difficult path to tread.
"It is always going to be an emotional issue. But, in the end, all you can do is get on with it."
