"I remember watching the Olympics at my Otago University club in 2008 and seeing the Evers-Swindells waiting for the result beyond the finish line. When they won [by 0.01s], I fell in love with the sport. I remember telling someone, 'I want to be in the women's double and be coached by Dick Tonks, like them'.
"Now we have a whole squad of girls at a similar level. The Evers-Swindells are athletes many here looked up to at high school. People realise they were successful because they worked bloody hard.
"The women's pair and double each have 11 qualifying spots at the Olympics. We could put any two girls from the squad in and qualify both this year. The depth of the squad is a world-class asset."
Last week, the Evers-Swindells were nominated for the world governing body's Thomas Keller award, in recognition of exceptional careers.
The number of New Zealand female Olympic rowers has ballooned since their heyday.
Eleven went to the 2012 London Olympics; five was the previous best. Twenty women will go to Rio if qualifying expectations are met.
"It's a progressional environment," says Sophie MacKenzie, who was a late addition to the women's lightweight double sculls with Julia Edward last season and won gold.
"I was in awe of wanting to be like these people, then I found myself adapting. Having all those driven and focused people around makes you work together rather than against each other."
Under Tonks since 2010, Bourke worked her way through three seasons in the quadruple sculls crew whose London Games dream ended after an oar snapped in the repechage. Tonks concentrated on the women's programme after stepping down as head coach after the Olympics. It's hardly coincidence success followed and Tonks has been recognised for his success by receiving an honorary doctorate from Waikato University this month for his contribution to sport and leisure.
"He took a rare day off training, one of only three I can remember," Bourke says. "Another time he had a severe tummy bug, and there was also the birth of his son.
"When I was fresh in the system, I'd heard stories about him being scary. I was terrified to talk to him but realised it's just that he takes his job seriously. He has great intuition for his athletes.
"Three months before I was coached by him [in 2009], I remember being in the summer squad a week before Christmas. I was awful in the single, so I decided to stay three extra days. He came down at 6am to give me a hand. If you are willing to put the time in, he will, too."
Four women's crews to watch
•
Fiona Bourke (single sculls)
A contender for Olympic gold, possibly in her preferred double sculls where, with Zoe Stevenson, she won a world championship last year. In the absence of fellow world champion Emma Twigg, who is studying overseas, Bourke has been tasked with qualifying the single sculls for Rio. The 26-year-old should be an asset Rowing New Zealand can rely on for years.
• Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast (coxless pair, eight)
In a rare move, the duo will turn out for two crews, a nod to the faith of the selectors. They had a breakthrough World Cup regatta last July when they beat incumbents Louise Trappitt and Rebecca Scown by more than five seconds, finishing behind the British Olympic champions. Triumphed at under-23 level before joining Kelsey Bevan and Kayla Pratt to win a world championship in the non-Olympic coxless four.
• Julia Edward and Sophie MacKenzie (lightweight double)
Announced themselves with a world-best time of 6m 48.56s to win last year's world championship at short notice. MacKenzie, who publishes e-cookbooks as "meditation away from rowing", was recruited from a lightweight combination with Zoe McBride which won the under-23 world championship.
• Eve MacFarlane and Zoe Stevenson (double sculls)
A new-look combination after Bourke's move to the single. Stevenson is an incumbent world champion and MacFarlane returns after a break last year. She competed in the women's eight in 2013 and the quadruple sculls at the Olympics. The combination require a top-11 placing to qualify the boat for Rio.
