Archive for January, 2018

Andrew James Duncan Laing CNZM OBE (20 June 1933 – 13 September 2008)

Wednesday, January 24th, 2018

When Duncan Laing died in 2008 I was coaching in Delray Beach, Florida. I never got around to recording my Duncan Laing memories. That was a wrong that can now be put right.

Even the bare facts of Duncan life are impressive. He was and remains New Zealand’s most successful swim coach. He began teaching swimming at Dunedin’s Moana Pool in 1966. Over forty years he coached 11 Olympic swimmers including Danyon Loader, winner of two gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and a silver medal at Barcelona in 1992. Besides coaching swimming Duncan was an Otago rugby selector. Duncan and his wife Betty were married in 1951. They had six children, four sons and two daughters.

But that summary does not do the man justice. Duncan was a man of huge stature and equally huge personality. He began work as a butcher in the Waitara freezing works. (Freezing works is the New Zealand name for a meat plant.) Duncan and I had freezing works in common. When I finished University I went to work for the same freezing works company, Thomas Borthwick & Sons. Actually, the very successful Carterton coach, Russell Geange also worked in a Borthwick’s freezing works. At a national championships several years ago Duncan, Russell and I had a successful meet. All three of us had coached national winners. Duncan claimed that our early training in skinning and processing New Zealand sheep was clearly the foundation on which to build a successful coaching career.

Most people who met Duncan came away with a story to tell. It is the way it was. Some people, without trying, just have huge personalities.

I first met Duncan at the Moana Pool when my daughter, Jane, was three years old. On our way to the pool I told Jane that I had earned my 800 meter certificate when I was four. Jane asked if she could try and swim 800 meters and beat me. I said fine. And so for what seemed like a very long time Jane swam sixteen lengths of the Moana Pool. Duncan became aware of this small, three year old, swimming up and down. He came and asked what she was doing. I explained and Duncan stayed to watch. When Jane finished she seemed very impressed that the pool coach was there to congratulate her on a job well done. Thirteen years later Jane swam in her first New Zealand national team, coached by Duncan. When they met, Duncan smiled and said, “Hello blondie. I remember when you were three and swam 800 meters in the Moana Pool.”

That open care generated huge loyalty. On New Zealand teams, if I wasn’t there, my swimmers always wanted Duncan as their coach. His practical, no frills approach was one they understood. And never once did he compromise the swimmer’s “home” training. We would talk on the phone before the team left to discuss my training plans. And to the letter Duncan made sure that is what was done. He did not need to interfere and show he was in charge. There was no ego. He was big enough to simply do what was right. And because of that he got the very best out of all of us.

Duncan and I travelled to one international championship together. In 1992 we went to what was then the world short course championships with Toni Jeffs, Phillipa Langrell and Danyon Loader. I think, to this day, that team is the only New Zealand swim team to return from a world event with every swimmer winning a competition medal. It was a great trip; successful, focused and fun; made that way by Duncan’s relaxed manner. There was none of that team bonding, strategic planning stuff that I’ve seen in other national swim teams – just get on and do your bloody job. Let me give you an example. As our flight climbed away from Auckland we were asked if we wanted something to drink. I said I’d have a beer.

“Thank God for that,” I heard Duncan say, “I thought I was in for another one of those teetotal Swimming New Zealand trips. I’ll have a beer too, thank you.”

They were fun times. Duncan was very different from me. When Swimming New Zealand did some of their stupid stuff, I’d get upset and excited. Not Duncan. He had the control to continue on, down in Dunedin, doing his own thing, unaffected by the politics of corporate sport.

But there is a Duncan story that changed my coaching life. It is probably the single most important coaching lesson of my career. Duncan got a call one eventing from the coach of a local schoolboy’s rugby team. The coach had a meeting and asked if Duncan could take practice. They were doing lineout drills. Duncan agreed. At the start of practice Duncan asked the boys to show him their lineout skills. The boys lined up, called out an impressive list of coded calls, threw the ball in and no one could catch it. Duncan abandoned line out training and took the team for an hour of catching practice. The moral is classic Duncan, stick to the basics and do the simple things well – the way he lived his life really.

When I began coaching Toni Jeffs there were a million things I did not know. For general training advice I was lucky to be able to turn to Arch Jelley and Arthur Lydiard. But for swimming specific guidance I consulted Duncan. Over the years, I must have made a thousand phone calls to Dunedin asking what I should do about solving some swimming problem. We talked for hours. His help was more than generous; try this approach, change this routine, work on something new. And all provided in language I could understand; the basics, the simple things done well.

And so, like a thousand other New Zealanders, thank you Duncan for your time and your help. You were one of a kind. They don’t make ‘em like they used to. No, they sure don’t.

An Example Of Why Swimming New Zealand Is Not Working

Tuesday, January 23rd, 2018

For years Swimwatch has been banging on about the problems associated with Swimming New Zealand’s lack of leadership. Attention has primarily been given to the mess created by the centralized Millennium coaching program; things like the endless succession of coaches, their poor performance, the effect on the nation’s regional coaches and the unearned arrogance of the Millennium culture.

But it’s not only coaching that has been affected. The lack of product knowledge at the top manifests itself in other ways. Let’s consider one example; the annual program of competitions.

In training and in competition it is important to build a season in order that the swimmer can progressively advance to their main event. In training that usually means starting the season with aerobic distance conditioning, adding in a period of anaerobic training and ending with several weeks of speed work, racing and trials. The season is a step by step progression leading up to the main event of the period.

The competition program prepared by the sport’s administrators must reflect the same progressive characteristics. If it does not, the results obtained by New Zealand’s swimmers at pinnacle events, will be hurt. I was first taught this concept of progressive competition by track coach, Arthur Lydiard. The table below shows the plan I agreed with Lydiard we would use in a normal New Zealand summer season.

Start With Build To Build To Build To Build To Finish With
Local Club Meets Smaller Regional Meets Major Regional Meets Smaller National Meets Larger National Meets International Meets

An example of an actual season swum by Toni Jeffs, Nichola Chellingworth and Jane Copland is shown in the next table.

Start With Build To Build To Build To Build To Finish With
2xWellington Interclub Carnivals HBPB Champs Auckland Champs Age Groups Opens Oceania & NSW Champs

As you can see, that was a total of eight competitions. With heats and finals the program meant that the swimmers had about 50 races in the summer season; well in line with our goal of 100 races each year. And the progressive program worked. Between them the three swimmers set four New Zealand records and won HBPB, Auckland, Open, Oceania and NSW Championships.

But to achieve that result we had to have meets available at the right time. The schedule set by Swimming New Zealand had to accommodate the performances we were aiming for in the Oceania and New South Wales Championships.

This year a good swimmer’s peak event is the Commonwealth Games. Let’s look at the meets Swimming New Zealand has made available. Is their schedule of meets compatible with getting the best performance from swimmers at the Commonwealth Games? The table shows the best I could make of the meets Swimming New Zealand has offered.

Start With Drop To Stay At Stay At Stay At Finish With
December January January February March April
Auckland Champs  A.Mosse Classic Counties Champs Manawatu Champs Auckland Age Groups Commonwealth Games

For some reason, best and only known to Johns and Cotterill, the national New Zealand Age Group and Open Championships have been put back to after the Commonwealth Games. The Opens are now in the middle of winter, in July. Why the Age Groups and Opens were not scheduled before the Commonwealth Games, as an opportunity for team members to race, I have no idea.

As you can see the schedule available is inadequate. Does Steve Johns want New Zealand swimmers to perform badly? It sure seems like it. Certainly the national racing program Johns has prepared does nothing to give New Zealand’s swimmers a chance. No one can prepare for world class racing at the Manawatu or Counties Championships. Compared to the tough racing going on in Australia and the United Kingdom just now, our swimmers have nothing. Their only option is to swim in time trials or look for races overseas. In my view, Swimming New Zealand has failed in the most basic duty of caring for the needs of its swimmers.

In saying that, I have nothing against the Counties or Manawatu Championships. I love going to both meets. They are fun, well run events. Eyad and I are at Counties this weekend. However they are not the place to finish the preparation of a swimmer wanting to beat Cate Campbell or Adam Peaty at the Commonwealth Games.

I sometimes wonder how Johns and Cotterill reached these decisions. Who suggested scheduling the Open Championships in July? Who decided the Anthony Mosse meet should be short course and only timed finals? Why are the national Age Groups after the Commonwealth Games? Why are the Auckland Championships at the beginning of the long course season, in December? Why are there so few longer races scheduled in Auckland club meets?

Whoever decided the current competition program has let New Zealand swimming down. The schedule should have provided a series of ever more difficult meets culminating in the Commonwealth Games. The schedule needed to include as much long course competition and as many meets with heats and finals as possible. Why? Simple really; because the Commonwealth Games is long course and involves heats and finals. Even senior swimmers need to refresh those skills in the lead-up to a world class event such as the Commonwealth Games. My guess is our swimmers are going to arrive in Brisbane short of racing. And that is a serious handicap.

Events like the Commonwealth Games require at least six pre-games meets. Toni Jeffs twice broke New Zealand records in meets five and six; Anna Simcic broke her world record in meet five; Danyon Loader broke his in meet five; and Phillipa Langrell set her New Zealand 800 metres record in meet five. Shorter preparation would have seen New Zealand missing out on two world records and five national records. So six meets is the minimum and seven or eight is better.

The table shows the starting, mid-season and end of season times of several New Zealand international medallists, all of them performed best in meets five and six:

Name Event Meet 1&2 Meet 3&4 Meet 5&6
Danyon Loader 400 Fr 3:50.39 3:49.51 3:43.64
1500 Fr 15:04.76 14:59.83 14:54.38
200 Fly 1:57.68 1:59.17 1:56.24
Anna Simcic 100 Back 1:02.01 1:01.47 1:00.99
200 Back 2:10.59 2:08.11 2:07.11
Toni Jeffs 50 Fr 26.01 25.86 25.54
100 Fr 56.48 56.75 56.11
Phillipa Langrell 800 Fr 8:34.26 8:26.93 8:24.78
400 Fr 4:11.72 4:10.63 4:09.13

Track athletes have been doing this sort of thing longer than swimmers.  It is interesting to see the length of time between beginning their season and running their best times:

Name Event Meet Number
John Walker 1 mile world record 10
Halberg Snell Magee Philpott 4 x 1 mile world record 7
Murray Halberg 3 mile world record 10
Peter Snell Agfa 1 mile world record 7
Peter Snell Agfa 800 world record 8
John Walker 1500 Olympic title 6
Dick Quax 5000 world record 5
Dick Quax 5000 Olympic silver 6

And so is Steve Johns checking that the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team members have a progressive racing plan? Is he asking whether they are competing in the necessary number of events? If he is not, if these rules are being broken, New Zealand swimmers will not perform at their best. Because in Australia, South Africa, Canada, Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales those sorts of things are being checked, those rules are being followed.

PS On the subject of what does Steve Johns do all day? It sounds like there is “trouble-at-mill” in Masterton. I’ve heard rumours of lawyer’s letters and calls for Swimming New Zealand to investigate. I’ve heard mention of financial irregularities. I hope Steve Johns can pull himself away from coffee in the Millennium Wholefood café long enough to investigate something that does not sound good.

Dare To Stand Alone

Monday, January 22nd, 2018

National sporting federations change for many reasons. Good administrators might detect a need for reform. Governments can order a professional review. Remember when Swimming New Zealand had three government reviews in four years. Bill Sweetenham wrote one. Then Chris Ineson prepared what was probably the best analysis of Swimming New Zealand’s problems. Swimming should have paid more attention to Ineson’s findings. Swimming is a poorer place for sweeping Ineson’s findings under the carpet. And finally in 2011 Chris Moller came up with the disastrous Moller Report. Swimming is still suffering under the burden of his anti-democratic, anti-elite performance, anti-membership findings. The sport has Moller to thank for the terrible decisions that have resulted from appointing Board members with little or no responsibility to the membership. Layton and Cotterill both came via the Moller Report. What the 1938 Treaty of Munich was to world peace, the Moller Report has been to successful management at Swimming New Zealand.

However the reform I like best comes from the participating members. I don’t mean officials or parents or coaches. I mean change that has its origin in the views and opinions of the people who swim or run or play the game.

Look at the reforms that flowed from the decision of Tony Greig to take on the ICC. We wouldn’t have one day cricket or 20/20 without his courageous stand. It was the resolution of Ken Rosewell and Rod Laver that brought professionalism to tennis. Although Josh Kronfield and Stewart Wilson were the first players to sign professional contracts with the NZRFU, it was the rebellion of Sean Fitzpatrick that opened rugby’s professional door.

In New Zealand athletics Valerie Adams quietly went to the Minister of Sport, Murray McCully and said she was not going to be part of Miskimmin’s centralized sausage machine. She demanded and won the right to be paid while she prepared, in her own way, wherever in the world she wanted. Adam’s resolve meant that Miskimmin’s centralized training plans for New Zealand athletics were dead. The success of Willis, Walsh and McCartney has been the result.

Sadly New Zealand swimming has not had a Valerie Adams. The closest we’ve got is Lauren Boyle. She has had her rebellious moments; and the sport is the better for them.

In response to a vicious, mean and, I believe, entirely in Bone’s character, attack on her she said this.

“Radio Sport NZ enquired about having a chat, but can wait until hell freezes over for anything from me. Straight after my races at Rio de Janeiro Radio Sport aired an unjustified character attack on me by an ex Swimming New Zealand official. No apology or retraction was forthcoming. What Mr Bone would know about my illness, fightback, or for that matter anything much around elite competition, I could write on a small piece of rice paper. Age group swimming; maybe!”

Go Lauren. When Boyle couldn’t stand being coached by David Lyles, and I don’t blame her for that, she quietly went to Swimming New Zealand and said she was going to Australia to train – make it happen. There was not a lot of public drama about much that Lauren Boyle did. In fact, on most occasions, she seemed to tow the party line. However the character she demonstrated in leaving the Millennium Institute and insisting on the right to follow her own training plan was really the beginning of the end for Swimming New Zealand’s multi-million dollar experiment in centralised training. If Swimming New Zealand’s so-called elite program was not good enough for Lauren Boyle, why should anyone else go there?

But the courage of Lauren Boyle is the exception in New Zealand swimming. Boyle stood up to Bone and Lyles while she was still swimming. And, of course, that is important – taking a stand when you have everything to lose, takes character.

The norm in New Zealand is for swimmers to speak up after they have retired and have nothing to lose. For example long after he had retired Danyon Loader said this about Swimming New Zealand.

“Loader says Swimming NZ has never had a good administrative framework. This was the case even during the peak of his career, when he was winning Olympic gold medals and breaking world records, and he says reform is vital.

“There’s never been a good model in place. Even during my career, the best interests of swimmers were not at heart. It can only get better from there. It really needs a shake-up, it needs to start again.”

Within a week of announcing his retirement Moss Burmester was also critical of Swimming New Zealand. This is how it was reported on the Stuff website.

Burmester said SNZ was letting top swimmers down at both day-to-day training level and when teams came together for major meets.

“It’s more the atmosphere at Swimming New Zealand and how things are being run there at the moment. The lack of trust really,” he said. “As you get older you become aware of it and you don’t fit the mould quite so well.”

He was being “diplomatic” by not naming names but said he would speak out if Sparc don’t improve the situation for younger swimmers, many of whom he knew had issues with the administration.

Loader and Burmester’s views are important. They are good. They are correct and they needed to be said. However they would have been so much more effective if; like Boyle and Adams, they had spoken up before they retired; before they had nothing to lose. Their views are right, but they lack courage. And that is a quality demanded of every leader.

And so if you have a complaint, if you object to the way the sport is being run, say something: send an email, put it on Facebook, send out a Tweet, make a banner and tow it behind a low flying airplane. Don’t sit around putting up with bad administration. Don’t wait until you retire. Don’t be afraid that you won’t get picked for a New Zealand team. Because, remember this, Swimming New Zealand needs you far more than you need them. If you are fast enough they’ll take you no matter what you’ve said. You have the ultimate power. Their wages, paid from Sport New Zealand, depend on how fast you swim. That gives you power. Use it to create the sport you want, not what Swimming New Zealand orders you to accept. That is what the example of Boyle, Adams, Fitzpatrick, Rosewell and Greig has taught us all.    

Anthony Mosse Swim Meet

Sunday, January 21st, 2018

Since 1990 I have entered swimmers in the Anthony Mosse Classic. Of course, in those days it wasn’t called Anthony Mosse. But it was a very prestigious meet; frequently being reported on Television One news. There have been some good memories.

On one occasion, Gary Hurring, Toni Jeffs and I checked in at Wellington Airport for the flight to Auckland. In those days Air New Zealand domestic flights had a business class section. For some reason, probably related to the star power of Gary and Toni, the three of us were upgraded. As we boarded the flight I noticed Toni was sitting in the front next to Roger Douglas, New Zealand’s Minister of Finance.

I quietly said to Gary, “Who’s that grey haired old bugger sitting next to Toni Jeffs from Whakatane, New Zealand?”

Evidently not quietly enough. Roger Douglas stood up and smilingly said, “Hello, my names Roger Douglas from Wellington, New Zealand. I’m the Minister of Finance.”

I’m pretty sure it was at the same Auckland meet that Toni lowered the New Zealand long course 100 meter freestyle record and collected a $5000 prize offered by the Sport’s Foundation.

Today it is really sad to see the mere shadow of what the meet used to be. Let me explain.

Two years ago I posted a story on Swimwatch that compared the senior winning times at the Anthony Mosse meets in 2012 and 2016. I chose 2012 because that’s when New Zealand swimming received the twin blessings of a new constitution and Bruce Cotterill’s “leadership”. In the four years between 2012 and 2016 had the sport profited from its new look. Here is a copy of the conclusions drawn from the comparison.

“In 2016 twenty-eight of the thirty races were won in times slower than the winning times in 2012.  Not just slower, a lot slower.  The average male winner in 2016 was 6% slower than in 2012.  The average female winner in 2016 was 5.4% slower than the winner in 2012.  

The administration of the sport has failed its participants. Over eight years the management of the sport in New Zealand has undermined and eroded the position of coaches and swimmers in 101 different ways.  The sport has been badly managed. It’s a disaster. And it’s getting worse.”

Of course the Swimming New Zealand sycophants sprang to the defence of the establishment. I received messages that said things like:

“I don’t think your comparisons are entirely apples to apples for the following reasons:
There were no finals held at this years AMC Classic, so you didn’t get the fastest eight swimmers for each event competing in a final. Several younger swimmers swam much faster times than you posted as the ‘top time’ for events and were in fact faster than your 4years ago times.

David you seem to have spent a lot of time on comparing stats for a meet where none of the first tier swimmers were at. Uniteds top swimmers were in Aus on a swim camp, North shores top swimmers were not there, just the younger ones, Counties were excluded and the high performance swimmers were in Wellington so of course the times were slower.”

 At the time I thought, “Excuses, excuses. We will wait until next year and see what happens.” Unfortunately I missed the 2017 Anthony Moss Meet. I was coaching in Saudi Arabia. However this weekend I have been at the 2018 version. And so I have updated the 2016 comparison with times from 2017 and 2018. Is swimming getting worse or are the Swimwatch critics right? Is swimming, under Brucie’s inspired leadership, striding confidentially from success to success?

The tables below show the men’s and women’s comparison for all four years. Have you ever seen anything like it? You would have to be really blind not to read the story revealed by these figures.

  1. In 2016 twenty-eight of the thirty races were won in times slower than the winning times in 2012.
  2. In 2017, unbelievably, things got even worse. Another twenty-seven of the thirty races were won in times slower than 2016. That is not an adverse trend. That’s the Olympic downhill championship.
  3. Imagine the senior men’s breaststroke, in New Zealand’s biggest city, being won in 36 or the women’s being won in 39. I coached a New Zealand breaststroke champion Jane Copland 20 years ago. When she was thirteen she could swim four seconds faster than 39. Come to think of it, at thirteen she was also one second faster than the 2017 Anthony Moss men’s time. Toni Jeffs’ winning times were also close to the men’s 2017 Anthony Moss 100 freestyle time and were six or seven seconds ahead of last year’s winning women’s time. And that’s THIRTY years ago.
  4. The meet in 2018 has seen an improvement. Twenty-nine of the thirty senior events have been won in times faster than 2017. However that is not a particularly high bar. Sixteen of the 30 senior events in 2018 are still slower than the 2012 winner’s times.
  5. Although 2018 is very much better, there is still not a lot to get excited about. When the women’s 50 meter freestyle sprint is won in a time slower than Lauren Boyle swam for the first 50 meters of her 1500 meter record, there is a problem. When the women’s 400 meters is won thirty-seven seconds slower that Boyle’s 400 split the problem is becoming terminal. Swimmers like Toni Jeffs, Nichola Chellingworth, Jane Copland, Rhi Jeffrey and a dozen others would rate their chances of winning every race on the program against the 2018 competition. Rhi swam faster than the winner of the 50, 100 and 200 meters freestyle when she was 13. That is important only as an indication of the problems faced by the sport in New Zealand.

Responsibility for these numbers lies squarely at the door of Swimming New Zealand. They created a negative environment that rewarded a privileged and underserving few. In the process they destroyed New Zealand’s coaching infrastructure. “They that sow the wind, are in the middle of reaping the whirlwind.” Those responsible for Swimming New Zealand should pack their cardboard boxes and leave the building. If they don’t, the same catastrophic figures will repeat themselves. That is certain. Why? Because the guys at Antares Place have no idea how to fix it. Brucie’s website tells me he is a “transformation leader”. Swimming New Zealand certainly needs transforming. My guess is Brucie could lead that best by getting out of the way.

Event Women
  2012 2016 2017 2018
50 Free 26.00 29.83 29.90 28.64
100 Free 57.24 1.02.26 1.02.65 1.00.80
200 Free 2.02.99 2.14.68 2.14.88 2.14.55
400 Free 4.22.67 4.42.96 4.43.15 4.38.65
50 Back 30.23 31.41 34.00 32.12
100 Back 1.06.34 1.07.36 1.13.89 1.08.89
200 Back 2.21.97 2.33.06 2.39.82 2.31.63
50 Brst 36.21 38.27 39.16 38.04
100 Brst 1.19.68 1.20.62 1.23.76 1.21.20
200 Brst 3.02.63 3.05.40 3.03.35 2.48.87
50 Fly 28.99 30.85 31.04 30.48
100 Fly 1.01.70 1.08.86 1.10.32 1.07.92
200 Fly 2.32.14 2.40.30 2.34.51 2.28.90
200 IM 2.27.51 2.35.27 2.38.04 2.37.30
400 IM 5.35.94 5.24.33 5.31.84 5.11.07

 

Event Men
  2012 2016 2017 2018
50 Free 23.58 23.54 25.44 23.72
100 Free 52.36 51.78 55.35 52.45
200 Free 1.57.46 1.51.93 1.56.72 1.56.47
400 Free 4.18.57 4.06.24 4.02.04 4.08.92
50 Back 28.07 27.41 29.58 28.38
100 Back 1.07.33 59.94 1.03.57 1.00.89
200 Back 2.10.03 2.11.88 2.20.89 2.13.78
50 Brst 32.51 28.25 36.11 32.24
100 Brst 1.11.39 1.02.80 1.17.20 1.10.43
200 Brst 2.37.83 2.22.47 2.45.96 2.33.20
50 Fly 27.42 25.39 27.63 25.77
100 Fly 58.54 56.43 1.03.03 57.80
200 Fly 2.19.46 2.01.73 2.22.85 2.09.96
200 IM 2.16.43 2.14.46 2.22.09 2.17.71
400 IM 4.51.67 4.46.43 4.55.19 4.51.66

PS I have attended swim meets in eighteen countries around the world. Never, in all that time, have I come across the number of disqualifications handed out in this year’s Anthony Mosse meet. Eighty-two disqualifications seemed like a lot to me. Strangely more than half came during the Sunday session. I wonder what the reason was? Either coaches in Auckland are not teaching their swimmers properly or swimmers are not listening or the officials are being far too strict. I imagine you can guess my pick.

Clarity Through The Rotorua Steam

Thursday, January 18th, 2018

I received a message today from Rotorua that clarifies and changes important aspects of the last Swimwatch story. The Swimwatch story commented on the following Facebook post.

Rotorua Aquatics SOS – Save our Swimming Pools

January 15 at 7:55pm · Rotorua ·

In the last year RLC Group Manager for Sport and Recreation – also the President of Swim Rotorua – oversaw a Memorandum of Understanding on a 5 year partnership between the two entities. So did this person sign on behalf of both parties? Coincidentally he steps down from the position of President just prior to the outsourcing of Aquatic Centre was agreed to, after the Union starts asking questions about conflict of interest….!! #coffeeconsult

I googled “RLC Group Manager for Sport and Recreation” and discovered that someone called Rob Pitkethley was the Rotorua Lakes Council Sport, Recreation & Environment Manager. Wrongly I assumed Pitkethley was the person being referred to on Facebook. I am now told that is not the case. The person who occupied positions in both the Council and the Swim Rotorua club was the Acting Group Manager, Operations at Rotorua Lakes Council, Henry Western.

Several things of importance arise from that change.

  1. First and most important I apologize to Rob Pitkethley for the error. I should have researched the Facebook post more thoroughly.
  2. I would stress again to Rotorua Aquatics SOS the importance of accuracy and names in reporting events like these. A just cause can be quickly lost when people’s titles and names are incorrectly reported.
  3. Although the names have changed the principles at play remain the same. Has a public official had his fingers in too many pies?
  4. Swimming New Zealand need to investigate whether a Board member of one of its clubs has acted improperly. Has one club in Rotorua benefitted, at the expense of swimming in general, by having a Board member also be a senior Council employee? This is especially relevant given that Henry Western was also once a Board Member of Swimming Bay of Plenty. Swimming New Zealand need to find out what role, if any, Henry Western played in Council negotiations with Swim Rotorua and with the private company appointed to manage the aquatic centre.
  5. I would think that the Rotorua Lakes Council should also look at any conversations Western may have had with Pitkethley during both these negotiations that could have influenced the decisions that were made.
  6. I doubt there has been any wrongdoing. However the perception of something wrong is not good. It is amazing to me that a person like Weston who has worked for Buddle Findlay and the Ombudsman could not see the perceived dangers of his senior Council position and his roles on a favoured swimming club and on the Board of Swimming Bay of Plenty – especially while deals were being done with his club and with a corporate private manager of the pool.

And so, I apologize again for the error. However there may be something smelly in Rotorua swimming. It is best that Swimming New Zealand and the Rotorua Lakes Council check that it is not coming from the local swimming pool.