KEY POINTS:
Andy Moles figuratively took out his pen yesterday and drew a fresh line beneath the words "New Zealand team".
What's gone on in Australia in the past few weeks, when New Zealand lost to a second-string New South Wales side as a prelude to being soundly beaten in both tests at Brisbane and Adelaide, has been set aside.
New national coach Moles had no control over what happened there and won't discuss it. Appointed to replace John Bracewell last week, his gaze is firmly fixed on the future.
"We've got to move forward," Moles said last night. The players and I can't do anything with what's gone behind, we can only control what happens in the future, and that's really relevant right now."
Moles will meet captain Dan Vettori tomorrow and the rest of the first test squad to play the West Indies in Dunedin on Sunday.
High on his list of to-dos is sorting out the back room staff. Under Bracewell, an assortment of specialist coaches, medical experts and computer handlers were regular travelling companions.
Moles was coy on his thoughts on who he wants and - more importantly - what size of support group he prefers.
He was in Christchurch yesterday sifting through various matters and that is one of the topics he is keen to discuss with Vettori.
"I want to get it all sorted out so the players know ASAP what the makeup of the team off the field is," Moles said.
The first test squad will be named on Saturday and selection panel manager Glenn Turner was last night emphatic - "things have to get better".
"With a change of personnel [Moles] there is always likely to be a different approach," he said.
But Turner, one of New Zealand's great batsmen, is a strong believer that players must have a strong desire for self improvement inside them.
"Players have got to get more out of themselves. That's the key," he said.
"It's all very well to say we don't have the players. What we've got to say is surely we can get more out of what we've got."
The panel of Turner, Dion Nash and John Wright will meet in Auckland on Friday.
What they saw in Australia from the New Zealand batsmen will have had their eyes rolling, particularly Turner and Wright, both of whom worked assiduously during their careers to make themselves highly respected international openers.
The New Zealand squad returned from Australia last night but one player not with them, allrounder Jacob Oram, is in the selectors' thoughts.
Oram suffered a hairline fracture of a finger on his left hand against Northern Districts last week.
If fit, he will play for Central Districts against Otago starting in Napier on Friday.
Provided he comes through that satisfactorily, an earlier-than-anticipated return to the test squad is possible.
An alternative is including him in an enlarged preliminary squad to see how he pulls up.
