Former Rowing NZ manager returning home

A key cog in the success of New Zealand's rowers over the last decade has been enticed to leave his post in Australia and return home.

Former Rowing NZ high performance manager Andrew Matheson will link up with High Performance Sport New Zealand after several years spent working with the Australian rowing squad.

Matheson will move back to New Zealand after the Olympics to take up the new role of general manager of performance and strategic investment with the organisation responsible for supporting this country's elite athletes.

Part of the New Zealand men's coxed four which won a silver medal at the 1995 world rowing championships, Matheson made an even greater mark in his role as high performance manager with the sport's national body.

He oversaw the success of New Zealand's best rowers in a golden age for the sport - including two Olympic golds for the Evers-Swindell twins and three world championship wins by Mahe Drysdale - before moving across the Tasman in late 2008 to take up an equivalent role in Australia.

Matheson said working in Australia with the rowing programme has been a fantastic experience, but he didn't have to think twice about returning home.

"I've got a lot of respect for the people I've worked with in Australia and the progress we've made. But when the opportunity came along to return to my home country, to play a significant part in an organisation that's already making headway in high performance sport, I leapt at it."

High Performance Sport New Zealand chief executive Alex Baymann said he was thrilled to attract someone of Matheson's calibre back home.

"New Zealanders working in high performance sport are often highly sought after," he said. "We've lost some of our best coaches and high performance directors to jobs overseas over the years.

"Andrew will drive our investment approach to ensure we produce more Kiwi winners, and he'll work strategically with national sport organisations to develop world-leading high performance programmes, which enable our athletes and coaches to perform at their best."