Miskimmin’s sporting empire is currently flooded in investigations and reports. There is nothing too unusual about that. Ordering an investigation is Miskimmin’s preferred method of creating instability through which he can grow and consolidate his personal power. One by one the reports are being prepared and made public. This week Michael Heron QC submitted his Heron Report into Cycling New Zealand (CNZ).

This report is the usual mix of the good, the bad and the ugly that we have come to expect from investigations into New Zealand sport. We can often learn more from the reaction to the report than what is in the report itself. Heron has focused his attention on the behaviour of ex-CNZ coach, Anthony Peden. The report concludes that Peden was too tough, drank too much and was seen kissing a female cyclist goodnight after a night out in Bordeaux, France. Peden is long gone from CNZ. He resigned months ago and was not around to defend himself for this report. Today he is coaching the Chinese national team. I find it hard to understand how a Queens Council can support such positive charges against Peden without hearing from the accused. The report even says that, “there was a lack of accountability and leadership throughout the CNZ operation and a reluctance to raise issues, which led to a lack of reliable evidence.”

If the evidence is so unreliable why are we expected to believe that the conclusions, reached on the basis of unreliable evidence, will be sound? Heron’s report reflects badly on his judgement and on my old high school, Wellington College, and university, Victoria University. I can only assume his right wing politics have clouded the teachings of his early education. On this evidence Heron appears to have been watching too much American television. We can do without “Kavanagh” decision-making in New Zealand.

I am not surprised that Peden’s lawyer’s reaction to the Report’s findings was, “unsurprising given that the evidence obtained and relied on is predominantly second and third hand, and includes conjecture, perception, conjecture-on-conjecture, anecdote, hearsay, gossip and rumour” Hear hear to that.

The report becomes more balanced when it discusses the reaction of CNZ to the accusations made against Peden. The Report points to “an absence of accountability” and “sub-optimal leadership” as reasons for failings within the sport. High Performance Sport New Zealand does not escape criticism for their lack of action, despite their knowledge of the issues. Now all that has a ring of truth. If events at Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) are any example, an absence of leadership, sub-optimal leadership and a lack of action are true to form.

What else would explain the decision to deny an accused the right to see the result of a three day trial? What else would justify a decision to charge New Zealand’s best swimmers $5,300 to attend a World Championship while SNZ staff have their costs fully paid? What else would vindicate an annual competition program devoid of logic or sense? Who else would see no fault in manipulating rules and selection criteria? SNZ that’s who; corrupt beyond belief.

As we know the SNZ Board and senior management ignore bad behaviour. They sit in their closeted offices as though none of this bad conduct matters. Swimmers and coaches; no one except them matters. Their pay, their status, their cozy little number is all that needs protection. So how did the gods at CNZ respond? Exactly as you would expect SNZ to react is the answer.

Here is how the Stuff website reported the reaction of the CNZ Chairman, Tony Mitchell.

Blah, blah, blah – just the sort of rubbish we have been trained to expect from the SNZ Chairman, Bruce Cotterill.

The reports final conclusion is that High Performance Sport NZ (HPSNZ) could have done more to ensure issues were being adequately dealt with by CNZ. Heron said “HPSNZ as a whole knew enough of the circumstances before May 2018 to have done more to assist.”

That conclusion applies equally to SNZ. No one can tell me that HPSNZ don’t know about the secret report into my hearing. HPSNZ know that SNZ lie and cheat their way through life. Why else would they cut the state’s funding of the sport every year? But do HPSNZ do anything about putting the sport back on the straight and narrow? Do they demand SNZ provide me with a copy of my Report? Do they ask for the resignation of Cotterill, Johns and Francis? No of course they don’t. HPSNZ is as bureaucratic and useless as those they rule. For as long as that neglect is the rule, sports in New Zealand that are beholden to Sport New Zealand for their existence will wither and die. A lack of moral leadership in sports, like SNZ, who rely on Sport New Zealand for the majority of their income will continue to lurch from one crisis to another; will continue their steady and quantifiable decline.