PERFORMANCE AND PARTICIPATION

This year is a Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) anniversary. It is 10 years since Sport New Zealand led a coup that saw SNZ convert from a democracy to an oligarchy run by a small group of privileged people. At the time Sport New Zealand offered SNZ members the world. Performances would improve. Participation would climb. With Sport New Zealand in charge dominating the swimming world was just a matter of time.

So, were Sport New Zealand’s promises honoured?  

Performance

In the ten years there have been three Olympic Games – London, Rio and Tokyo. The promises of Sport New Zealand have come to nothing. No Olympic medals. In the ten years there have also been two Commonwealth Games – Glasgow and the Gold Coast. New Zealand swimming has won three medals – one Gold and one Silver by Lauren Boyle and one Bronze by Lewis Clareburt.

In the ten years New Zealand’s three best swimmers were Boyle, Clareburt and Fairweather. Ironically all three swimmers had little or nothing to do with the SNZ centralised training program. Boyle learned her trade at West Auckland Aquatics, honed her skills in the United States, spent a short time with SNZ before seeing the light and escaping to Australia. The other two are domestic products of their clubs in Wellington and Dunedin.  

Ten years ago Sport New Zealand lied to us. Performance has been poor.

Participation

The second measure of a sporting organisation’s health is participation. Is the membership vibrant and growing? This was where Sport New Zealand said swimming would score big. I remember being told SNZ would soon have more active members than rugby and soccer. So how has that worked out?

I have investigated three membership categories – total membership, competitive swimmers and coaches. The table below shows the 2012 membership number for each category and the current 2021 membership number. The percentage change is also shown

Year Total Members Competitive Coaches
  Number % Change Number % Change Number % Change
2012 22061   6200   560  
2021 16322 Down 26% 4553 Down 26% 200 Down 64%

Would you believe it? In ten years, total membership and competitive membership have gone down by 26%. And the number of coaches has fallen by a staggering 64%. You have to wonder, how did Cotterill and his Board manage those incredible figures?

Sport New Zealand said SNZ would benefit from expert advice from an appointed Board oligarchy. Expert in what, we may well ask. This is how one of the SNZ oligarchs describes herself:

“With a global mind-set, I am motivated by the positive implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies, enhanced through my diverse experiences working internationally; collaborating across different cultures, different workforce contract models, multi-generational workforces, global time-zones and multiple languages builds cultural understanding, appreciation and new strategies to deliver effective and resilient business outcomes.”  

Someone needs to explain to her that a 52 word sentence of introduction is not the best way to achieve results in business. SNZ Board meetings must be a riot if this is the normal standard of their communication. I have probably not achieved the business heights of the author, but I was CEO of quite a large New Zealand public company for several years. Anyone presenting a sentence of 52 words would have been asked to go away and try again.

Anyone presenting a ten-year 26% decline in business would be asked to find another job. Anyone responsible for a personnel turnover of 64% would be asked to add one more to that number.

The numbers speak loud and clear. The last line of the explanation goes something like, “couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery.”

Recommendation.

Ten years ago, when Sport New Zealand replaced a democratic, elected structure of government with an unelected oligarchy, SNZ had 6000 more members, 2000 more competitive swimmers and 300 more coaches. These were also the days when Loader, Mosse and Kingsman were winning Olympic medals, when Hurring, Simcic, Jeffs, van Wellie and Langrell were winning Commonwealth medals and when Kent and Bray were winning World Championships.

In order to justify their grab for power, Sport New Zealand said performance and participation would improve. As we have seen, things got far worse. So, what do we need to do? Here is a six point plan.

Action One – Call a Special General Meeting of all the Regions.

Action Two – Pass a motion dismissing the three appointed Board members.

Action Three – Hold an election replacing the appointed members with three new members elected by the Regions.

Action Four – Pass a motion rejecting the current undemocratic constitution.  

Action Five – Instruct the new fully elected 6 member Board (three current and three new) to have a democratic Constitution written for consideration and approval by the Regions within two months.

Action Six – Call a second Special General Meeting in two months to approve and apply the new democratic Constitution.

It is likely Sport New Zealand will react badly to swimming taking back the ownership of its sport. Discussion should make them see that their oligarchy has not worked. What is being proposed is better for the sport. If they fail to recognise that truth and take the step of removing their money, too bad. Swimming can struggle through or consider legal action to have the Courts rule that SNZ’s action is legal and Sport New Zealand should continue with its financial assistance.

Swimming needs to get out from under the authoritarian rule of Sport New Zealand. The culture swimming has at present suffocates progress. For ten years, good and not so good people have tried to make it work and failed. Only when swimming has the liberty of a democratic constitution and returns to managing its own affairs will it realise improved performance and participation. While the structure is flawed, swimming will fail to participate or perform. No matter how good they are Tongue, Johns and Francis cannot beat a Ferrari with their current old banger.     

“Democracy is not compatible with financial oligarchy.” ― Che Guevara

0 responses. Leave a Reply

  1. Swimwatch

    Today

    Be the first to leave a comment!

Comments are closed.