Editorial: Arrogance at Team NZ needs to go

Apart from the Rugby World Cup (and possibly this year's Cricket World Cup), there is never a time when the country comes to a halt more than when the America's Cup is on.

Suddenly, everyone is an expert and every tack and other yachting manoeuvre is analysed and studied in minute detail.

If the Cup is held in foreign waters (like San Francisco last time), productivity at offices around the country dips until mid-morning at least.

It is part of the Kiwi spirit - the desire to take on the big boys and win.

Unfortunately, winning has not happened for a long time and, like any organisation in the doldrums, Team NZ is making changes.

The obvious fall guy after the debacle that was San Francisco was always going to be Dean Barker.

He seems like a very nice guy and obviously his apparent boyish good looks have helped endear him to the New Zealand public. Unfortunately, it has been quite clear to see for a number of years that Barker simply does not possess the killer instinct that is needed to be a winning sportsperson. The sight of him sobbing when his team had squandered a remarkable lead to be defeated in San Francisco was not the look of a helmsman who could ever guide Team NZ to victory.

However, no one deserves to be treated the way Team NZ has treated him over the last few weeks. He has been a loyal servant for about 20 years and to find out on social media that he was about to be axed is not at all fair.

There is no doubt that Team NZ needed to do something before the next campaign and fresh blood is always good to rejuvenate things.

But I just get the sense that getting rid of Barker is the easy option and may not be the solution to what could very well be a much bigger and serious problem.

There appears to be a culture of arrogance in Team NZ that does not translate into winning. Anyone can live with arrogance if the cups are being stacked up on the shelf. But if you get all bluster and no result, then something needs to change.

While it is true that Barker probably had to go (losing All Black captains don't last as long as he has), maybe there has to be change at the very top.

Here's a thought, maybe Grant Dalton is not the right person to be guiding the good ship Team NZ into the next America's Cup campaign.