Swimming in new depths

SPARC CEO Peter Miskimmin. Photo / Supplied

The loss of confidence in those running Swimming New Zealand has reached its depths with the decision by key stakeholders to opt for a complete overhaul of the sport less than a year out from the Olympics.

Sparc chief executive Peter Miskimmin was quoted on the decision to have an overhaul by SNZ acting chairman Ross Butler in an open letter posted on the sport's website: "There are some serious issues facing swimming and some are longstanding. That the different groups have agreed to taking a good, long, hard look at the sport proves everyone ultimately wants a united sport."

Butler wrote the intention is for the process to take place out of "the glare of publicity" which apparently means no more public statements, despite the sport's taxpayer funding.

The decision to have another review comes more than three months after recommendations from the Sparc-initiated Ineson report into the beleaguered sport. The report outlined a lack of leadership within the organisation and suggested steps to address problems in SNZ's high performance department. Examples included the conclusion 91 per cent of 86 people interviewed attributed the poor culture as a significant barrier to success at the London Olympics and 83 per cent criticised the leadership of SNZ and the high performance programme.

The recommendations have resulted in mixed action from SNZ. The newly-established high performance governance committee has appointed a campaign manager to jury rig the sport to the Olympics.

Rushdee Warley has been seconded from High Performance Sport New Zealand (a recently restructured arm of Sparc) to work as swimming's London campaign manager. Warley moved here this year, having spent seven years as Swimming South Africa's high performance manager.

It is understood the new role is remunerated at $85,000- $95,000 and runs until the Games. Warley is entitled to split his time between HPSNZ and SNZ. In SNZ's defence, it is next to impossible to find anyone decent on the market for a full-time position less than a year out from the Olympics.

However, such recent decisions will make little or no difference to New Zealand's immediate Olympic hopefuls just 10 months from the Games.

They will receive Sparc funding until London but Warley's appointment remains ambitious. Expecting him to work on the Olympic campaign outside his usual duties as a "performance consultant" seems a stretch, especially when Sparc is demanding at least a medal and five finals as part of their funding wishlist for swimming to remain a targeted 2016 Olympic sport.

New Zealand made four finals at the recent world championships in Shanghai but a first Olympic medal in 16 years still seems some way off.

Meanwhile, SNZ - including its dissatisfied majority of regions - will team up with Sparc to go through a process similar to the New Zealand Rugby League review which drew conclusions on how to improve the sport's future in February 2009 after a nine-month investigation.

The league review has set the sport on a more positive course, producing a blueprint which addressed troublesome issues "relating to governance, management, financial sustainability and the lack of a strategic plan". The NZRL eventually replaced the board and restructured their business model, which included the appointment of a new chief executive.

The first part of such swimming backroom management manoeuvres is to put in place a planning committee consisting of two Sparc-appointed officers, one person from the current SNZ board and another from the regions. They are charged with producing the review's terms of reference and appointing a group comprising four independents and four swimming representatives to establish what caused the sort of disharmony that last month saw the regions rise up to question the mandate of the board.

As a result, the SNZ annual general meeting set for today has been postponed until October 30 while the new measures are established. Sparc's involvement in the review - including paying for it - guarantees the sport $1.65 million high performance investment in Olympic year. The caveat is any recommendations from this latest review must be accepted. Sparc, as a government-funded organisation in election year, will be keen to exercise damage limitation from any further SNZ fallout.