Archive for November, 2021

HOLY WATER

Monday, November 15th, 2021

Not much is happening in the world of New Zealand swimming. COVID lockdowns have pretty well brought an end to the best laid plans. Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) did publish their long list of swimmers under consideration for the Commonwealth Games. I’ve never understood the long list. Why have it at all?

For example, there is no way all, or even most of the 35 swimmers on the list are going to get anywhere near catching the flight to Birmingham. SNZ knows that. The Olympic Committee knows that. Even the author of the Facebook page “NZ Swim” knows that. And if he knows it, there is an owner of camels just outside of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia who is in on the secret as well.

And second, no one will ever convince me that if some unknown female swimmer from Ōpunake came to Auckland for the long course NZ Nationals and won the 100m freestyle in say 51.70 she would not be selected because Gary Francis didn’t know about her when he came up with the long list. Can you imagine the Game’s organiser’s attitude to missing out on a class swimmer because of a missed piece of New Zealand bureaucracy? If that then is the case, it begs the question, why have the list at all?

I imagine some readers are saying the likelihood of a swimmer currently training in the Ōpunake  River swimming 51.70 is slim. However, Faamausili, Gichard, Ashby and Moynihan doing something special in the USA would not be at all unusual. What is SNZ going to do then – not select them because they were not on the long list? It is a joke. Remember how pathetic Athletics NZ looked many years ago when an American based 400m hurdler was not selected because he was not on the list and had “only come third” in the US National Championships. Third in the US was probably third in the world – but bureaucracy won. Does SNZ really want to go there?

And finally remember when Peter Snell was ranked outside the world’s top 20 over 800m and was on no one’s long list. He was selected on potential. Someone in Athletics New Zealand took a punt. And guess what, Snell was born in Ōpunake and did come home from Rome with an Olympic Gold medal.

The problem with SNZ and NZOC long lists and pre-entry rules is they restrict the ability of swimming people like Gary Francis to run the business. They can’t take a punt. It is typical of what swimming under Layton and Cotterill has become. People, like Francis, who see talent in more places than the numbers on a stopwatch are being hogtied by Sport New Zealand sycophants with their long list bureaucracy. To hell with the long list. Let Francis pick what he thinks, feels, guesses is New Zealand’s best team. Let him manage the swimming side of the business. You put him there to do a job. Trust him to do it.

One other bit of semi-sporting news this week came from an American swimmer I used to help both in the USA and New Zealand. Before I knew Rhi Jeffrey she had won an Olympic Gold Medal for the 4×200 relay in Athens. Rhi is currently living and coaching outside of Boston. Those looking for a good coach could do a lot worse than contact Rhi.

With some justification Rhi is pissed-off at the awful interference in American politics by the “religious” right. She posted four quotes on her Facebook page from four founders of United States. These four men were well ahead of their time.

Thomas Jefferson – Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law. In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. 

John Adams – The Government of the United States is not in any sense founded on Christian Religion.

Thomas Paine – All national institutions of churches whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind and monopolize power and profit.

James Madison – Religion and Government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together.

Clearly those old American buggers knew a thing or two. Their 2021 followers should read, learn and inwardly digest. Of course, their words have more relevance to the United States than New Zealand. However, the growing influence of nutters like Brian Tamaki and others shows the wisdom of the American founding fathers is not without relevance here as well.

It might pay anyone basing their reluctance to have a COVID vaccine on Tamaki’s behavior, to pause and consider the words of four much smarter men than the New Zealand charlatan.

RACISM IN PLAIN SIGHT?

Friday, November 12th, 2021

New Zealand has very few fascists. The lunatic that murdered Muslims in Christchurch merits that description. But in general, the country’s most right-wing nutters are still a long way from being out-and-out fascists. And New Zealand needs to keep it that way. Which is what makes some of the country’s right-wing propaganda so stunningly dangerous.

Take Mike Hosking and Heather du Plessis-Allan for example. Every day they have unfettered access to drip, drip, drip feeding right-wing poison. Every day they test the limits by edging further away from right-wing and closer to fascism. du Plessis-Allan is more dangerous than Hosking. Hosking yells his opinions through the microphone demanding his audience accept the logic of his semi-educated babble. du Plessis-Allan in soft feminine tones suggests and infers. Her appeal to the right comes lightly through the back door. A quality that, in my opinion, makes her very dangerous indeed.

But first we should go back to the beginning. What is a fascist and in what way is du Plessis-Allan pushing us in that direction? Well, the relevant part of being a fascist is described by Wikipedia as follows.     

The extreme authoritarianism of fascism often manifests a belief in racial purity usually synthesized with some racism of a demonized “Other“. The idea of racial purity has motivated fascists to commit  sterilizationsmass killings, or deportations against the perceived “Other”.

So, what evidence do we have that du Plessis-Allan’s soft tones could be spreading a vile message. Well, first, she was born in South Africa, not known for its white liberalism, especially among the whites who couldn’t wait to emigrate elsewhere. du Plessis-Allan and her family got out when she was twelve years-old. One does wonder whether the genesis of the sadder chapters in South Africa’s history are being spread here? If they are, we can do without it.

In the meantime, it would be interesting to know where the du Plessis-Allan family stood during the apartheid years. Were they part of a small group of whites who fought for an end to apartheid and the liberation of South Africa’s black population? Or were they part of the majority of whites who enjoyed blacks being paid 10% of white pay for the same job. Did they support blacks being denied the right to buy or rent property on confiscated land? Did they vote for the National Party and support its laws to implement apartheid?

What we do know is that du Plessis-Allan’s racial history in New Zealand is not squeaky clean. For example, in 2019 the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) upheld a complaint against du Plessis-Allan’s who described the Pacific Islands as leeches.

It found her comments were inflammatory, devalued the reputation of Pasifika people and had the potential to cause widespread harm. The BSA ruled that du Plessis-Allan had breached good taste and decency and discrimination and denigration standards. The BSA noted the public condemnation of du Plessis-Allan and acknowledged the Authority’s responsibility to reflect the values and attitudes of New Zealand.

du Plessis-Allan’s is reported to have said, “I mean, it’s the Pacific Islands. What are we going to get out of them? They are nothing but leeches on us. I mean, the Pacific Islands want money from us. We don’t need money from them.”

There are many comments I would like to make about the character and morality of anyone guilty of that verbal atrocity. Certainly, in my opinion, the author has no place in a country like New Zealand. That is not free speech. That is an obscenity.

And then tonight, in my view, she did it again. This time du Plessis-Allan was commenting on an exchange of emails between a Government COVID advisor and the Ministry of Health. According to du Plessis-Allan the advisor wrote to the Ministry saying that testing for the virus should focus on Pacific Island people in South Auckland. That, the advisor warned, was where the disease could first get out of control. The Government rejected the recommendation, saying the idea of selecting a race and location for medical procedures could be seen as “racist and dangerous”. Thank God for a Government that understands the origin and dangers of racial profiling.

Of course, du Plessis-Allan did not agree with the Government’s reply. To quote her from two years ago, “I mean, it’s the Pacific Islands.” To quote from Wikipedia, “a demonized (South Pacific) other”. du Plessis-Allan’s arrogance appears to know no limits. What doesn’t she understand about the world history of selecting racial groups for special medical procedures? People are not cattle. Every Pacific Islander in South Auckland would be totally justified in refusing to participate in the advisor’s recommended medical profiling. I would recommend that du Plessis-Allan read “Medical Care and the Nazis” at this link, Medical Care, Nazism, and the Holocaust | Experiencing History: Holocaust Sources in Context (ushmm.org)

I wonder what she would say about the view that anyone born in South Africa should be denied COVID health care? But I guess from her point of view. “I mean, it’s the Pacific Islands” not a racially pure Arian from white South Africa.  

As I have said, in my opinion, she is an extremely dangerous woman.   

RUBBISH ON FULL DISPLAY

Wednesday, November 10th, 2021

Are there really 2,498 people in New Zealand following the Facebook page, “NZ Swim”? Unbelievable. 15% of Swimming New Zealand’s (SNZ) total membership admit to following the page’s semi-literate rubbish. The author’s most recent rants involve the COVID regulations. If you have any interest in understanding that subject stay well away from “NZ Swim”. The dog’s-breakfast and muddled thinking on “NZ Swim” will sow confusion in the minds of 2,498 struggling New Zealanders.

A far better idea is to go to the decision-making source, the SNZ webpage. You will find that Dale Johnson and Chloe Francis have set out clearly, logically and in English we can understand how various swimming events are affected. Thank you SNZ.

But for the love of all that’s good in a swimming pool stay well away from the “NZ Swim” Facebook page.

Mind you it may be of interest to know that, on the third Saturday after the second Tuesday in December 2022 Jacinda Ardern may open the Waitemata Harbor to all eleven-year-old boys who have had their first COVID injection, but girls who turn twelve, two days before and have had both jabs can swim in a restricted area around Mission Bay but must not travel to Taupo or Wanaka because Dr. Bloomfield is not sure how fresh water affect the virus and only if they have paid SNZ double their normal membership fee.  

See, I can write a 93-word sentence that means nothing just as well as the author of “NZ Swim”. I get one impression from the “NZ Swim” rants. The author dislikes whatever Jacinda Ardern does to control the pandemic. He dislikes SNZ and Ardern in equal measure. His opinions are irrational nonsense.

What causes me to say that? Afterall, Eyad’s swimming training has been impossible for 13 weeks. That is a serious blow. In 50 years coaching I have never stopped training before for 13 days, let alone for 13 weeks. In addition to all that I encouraged Eyad to become a refugee here in part to access freedoms, safety and opportunities that were not possible in his home. The current lockdown has put all that at risk. So yes, I am pissed.

In addition, I recognise the good people who have invested millions in pools and swim-schools are in danger of losing it all. Government aid that is a third of a swim-school’s fixed overheads only serves to extend the financial torture. The spectre of insolvency is just as real. For private pool owners, it is a terrible, terrible time.

However, I also recognise that leaders must lead. In times like the mosque murders we expected Jacinda to show compassion. And she did. In fact, during her time in power she has been called to respond to earthquakes, volcanos, treaty negotiations and international military changes. In all cases her leadership has answered the challenge well.

But the government and Jacinda’s greatest challenge has been COVID 19. Her problem is simply that doing the right thing is also unpopular. Politicians hate that. Just listen to the cheap shots radio morons like Hosking and du Plessis-Allan fire at Jacinda’s leadership. It is not hard to work out why Jacinda is the leader and the other two braindead loudmouths.

Doing the unpopular but right thing is the ultimate test of character. Whether David Wright, Eyad Masoud, Mark Bone or whoever else hates Jacinda, medical people are clearly telling her, “Do not open Auckland pools.” And so far, Jacinda has had the courage, the backbone and is deep down tough enough to say the right thing is for her to say, “No, the pools stay closed.” And if you think about it, that is the sort of leader any country, including New Zealand needs.

Left school at 16 Hosking and Pacific Island opponent du Plessis-Allan might not think so. But I suspect they may think Prime Minister is no job for a woman either.

Anyone can lead a country in the good times. In week 13 of a pandemic – not so much. And so, yes, I am right pissed with Jacinda. She is closing my pools. She is stuffing up the financial health of good swimming people. She is putting years of training in preparation for the Commonwealth Games at risk. I hate all that.

But I also admire her leadership for standing firm. That’s the sort of leader New Zealand needs. That’s the sort of leader I want. And that is also the sort of leader I will vote for next time.

THE PRICE WE PAID

Monday, November 8th, 2021

This will be the final Swimwatch post that argues that the Sport New Zealand control of Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) has damaged the sport. Since the SNZ Constitution was rewritten by Sport New Zealand in 2012 the two Sport New Zealand appointed Chairmen, Layton and Cotterill, have used the SNZ Annual Report to define their view of the purpose and goals of the organisation. Here is a selection of things they have said.

2012 The new Board will be charged with the growth and performance of competitive swimming.

2016 We are seeking to constantly grow and develop the sport.

2017 Excellent programmes will ensure that we are able to grow our sport.

2018 Strengthening our bottom line remains a key focus as we look to invest as much as possible into all our programmes but at the same time ensuring we are increasing our limited reserves,

You can see how, right from the beginning of the Sport New Zealand ownership era, the emphasis was on growth. I have highlighted the word in what those in charge said. Given that both Chairmen Layton and Cotterill came from a world of “money” rather than “sport”, the word growth meant two things. It meant “dollars profit” and “dollars’ worth”. In 2018 Cotterill spelt this out as “strengthening our bottom line” and “increasing our limited reserves”.

Let me explain. Layton and Cotterill spend their corporate lives around long mahogany board-tables. In that environment the dollar really is almighty. They genuinely love money. What were we worth yesterday? How much more are we worth today? Pleasure comes from wealth. For these men the accumulation of money is their goal. It is their hit. It is their turn on. Not what you can spend it on, or use it for, just more money is enough.

Others get the same emotion from writing music. I’m sure Lewis Hamilton gets a primal thrill from driving very fast cars. I know I get it from watching good swimmers or runners. I don’t need to be coaching them. Watching what they do is enough. Lauren Boyle, stunning. Alexander Popov, unbelievable. Dixon, Walker and Quax, impossible talents. Alison made every trip to the track a joy. Carina Doyle makes her trade look ridiculously easy. Jane’s courage caused me to sit in wonder. And of course, helping Eyad makes every Millennium visit a holiday. The thrill of watching the talented at work is all the satisfaction I need.

I never understood how money men could feel the same about accumulating wealth. But they do. Several of them have told me. In my opinion Layton and Cotterill are in that group. And I believe it has cost SNZ dearly.

Through the last ten years two numbers had to be kept in line. The first was profit. Layton and Cotterill were well aware the amount of profit was the primary concern of the majority of SNZ members. Most people are not interested in the ratio of earnings to debt or the percentage of current liabilities to current assets. But a profit means everyone goes home content that the Board has done a good job.

And the second money man’s obsession is net worth. What is the business worth? Is SNZ increasing in value? Is it worth more dollars this year than last? The table below shows how Layton and Cotterill cared for these two measures.             

Year Profit (Loss) $ Net Worth $
2021 97,551 560,373
2020 (32,478) 462,822
2019 46,687 495,300
2018 58,853 448,613
2017 29,115 389,760
2016 (63,923) 360,645
2015 109,713 424,568
2014 18,021 314,855
2013 16,234 296,834
2012 (120,213) 280,600

As it turns out, they looked after the two figures very well. The average annual profit even after a very shaky start in 2012 has been $15,956. The value of the business reflects the profits. SNZ has increased in value from $280,600 to $560,373. In ten years SNZ has doubled its dollar value. Perhaps not in the (5-times increase) Google league but certainly a pass.

In my view the problem has been the cost Layton and Cotterill were prepared to pay in order to keep their money mates in Sport New Zealand happy. To maintain profit and increase value they decimated the sport.

Previous Swimwatch posts have discussed the destructive fall in membership (26%) as the business contracted to preserve its profits. The number of coaches was halved for the same reason. Good people were sacked. International performances were catastrophic. And funding fell by a million dollars a year (24%). In short swimming and swimmers paid a devastating and unacceptable price to satisfy financial egos. There had to be another way. But in my opinion SNZ’s leaders were not good enough or even interested in working out what that was.

Recovering financially is not going to be difficult. That can be done. Recovering the sport is going to be long and tough. And in many cases those teenagers hurt most will never recover. Their one shot at swimming success has been lost forever. And I doubt the fact the organisation is worth twice as many dollars as it was ten years ago is going to be much comfort.

THIS IS SO BAD, IT IS QUITE AMUSING

Friday, November 5th, 2021

The Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) constitution is my favorite bedtime reading. It is the perfect soporific. However, I was jolted awake when I came across a new clause. Now remember this is in the constitution. This is what the Board must do. To ignore the constitution would be very serious indeed. The Board could be out on its ear if it acted outside the constitution.

The clause to which I refer tells the Board its “role and responsibility”. It defines what the constitution means by “good governance”. I thought it would be interesting to see how well SNZ measured up compared to its constitutionally mandated duties. The constitution orders that certain tasks must be achieved. Had Layton and Cotterill met those expectations? Or, in the ten years since the constitution was written, had they ignored their “role and responsibility”? Was their governance not only bad but unconstitutional? See what you think.        

Clause One demands “aspirational targets for the growth of the Sport”. The table below shows what has happened since Layton and Cotterill were charged with this responsibility.

Year All Members % Change Comp. Members % Change
2012 22061   6200  
2021 16322 Down by 26% 4553 Down by 26%

That looks unconstitutional to me. Down by 26% hardly seems like an aspirational target for growth.

Clause Two calls for “a multiyear facilities strategy for the Sport”. In this task the SNZ Board looks to have performed well. After the completion of the Millennium Institute of Sports and Health, The National Aquatic Centre was completed in mid-2015. It may have taken an earthquake, but first-class swimming facilities are also currently being built in Christchurch. And so, the Board gets a pass on Clause Two.

Clause Three requires “a coach development strategy to support coach numbers”. The table below shows what has happened since Layton and Cotterill were charged with this responsibility.

Year Number of Coaches % Change
2012 560  
2021 200 Down by 64%

Not much escaping those numbers. We may be dealing with New Zealand’s best spin doctors but even they must find it difficult to explain away a number like minus 64%. That is clearly unconstitutional.   

Clause Four requires a “HP strategy which is supportive of performance”. New Zealand normally measures high performance success by what happens at the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games. SNZ Board members have attempted to drag in the 10-year-old who won the Australian one width doggy-paddle as meeting this constitutional requirement. But it is the two big Games that count. The table below shows what has happened since Layton and Cotterill were charged with this responsibility.

Year Olympic Medals Commonwealth Medals
2012 London Nil    
2014     Glasgow 1 Gold, 1 Silver
2016 Rio Nil    
2018     Gold Coast 1 Bronze
2020 Tokyo Nil    

 Not much escaping those numbers. Especially when the two swimmers who won the three medals had little or nothing to do with SNZ’s centralised training. That performance is clearly unconstitutional.  

Clause Five requires a “relationship strategy with organisations involved with swimming.” Few could argue that the SNZ Board has been working overtime to get this constitutional task right. Getting into bed with Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ) has been a top priority. And it is working. Last year WSNZ wrote a cheque for $500,000 in thanks for their cosy night together. That was clearly constitutional.    

Clause Six requires “a multiyear funding strategy.” Being SNZ you would think if anything was going to be done well it would be money. The bio of every appointed Board member tells us everyone is aWolf of Wall Street”. The table below shows what has happened since Layton and Cotterill were charged with responsibility for collecting the cash. The sources of income shown are for money received from members, from High Performance Sport New Zealand and total income.

Year Members Change HPSNZ Change Total Change
2012 265,400   2,233,877   4,343,696  
2021 262,555 Down 1% 1,318,248 Down 41% 3,313,769 Down 24%

What a disaster. I would not put this lot in charge of my daughter’s piggy bank. HPSNZ funding down by 41%. Total funding down by 24%. Even membership fees that the Board has increased far more than inflation are down 1%. What a great way to run a business. Sting your loyal members to pay for massive failures elsewhere. That performance is clearly unconstitutional.   

Clause Seven requires “transparency with the Sport on all matters”. Remember the days when SNZ openly published the minutes of its Board meetings? Not anymore. Today SNZ has replaced transparency with secrecy and confidentiality. Check the legal provision in the balance sheet to see what that policy has cost. That performance is clearly unconstitutional.

Clause Eight requires “a commitment to critical practices including discipline procedures.” Once again, check the legal provision in the balance sheet to see whether that constitutional policy has been followed. The Board’s performance is clearly unconstitutional.

Clause Nine requires “a commitment to a culture of playing the ball, not the person.” I doubt anyone in New Zealand has been more of a football for SNZ than me. Perhaps that counts in the Board’s mind as playing the ball. But when you have been banned from attending the National Championships. When your swimmers have struggled to get funding because of their coach. When every refugee in the world can include coaching fees in their funding grant except your swimmer – then yes, you sure feel like a football. The Board’s performance is clearly unconstitutional.

The Conclusion is shown in the table below. Does SNZ pass or fail their constitutional test?

Item Pass or Fail
Clause One – Growth Fail
Clause Two – Facilities Pass
Clause Three – Coaching Fail
Clause Four – Performance Fail
Clause Five – Relationships Pass
Clause Six – Funding Fail
Clause Seven – Transparency Fail
Clause Eight – Critical Practices Fail
Clause Nine – Play the Ball Fail
Pass or Fail 2xPass, 7xFail

And so, what can be done about a Board who fails seven out of its nine constitutional duties?

The SNZ constitution gives us some ideas. Here is what it says.

“A Member failing to give effect to any decision or having done anything else which creates exposure to risk is liable to expulsion;”

So, there you go. The current Board has seen SNZ’s membership plummet, has seen the number of coaches halved, has lost more races in a decade than in any other ten-year period, has seen its funding collapse, has operated largely in secret, has not followed its rules and has personalised disputes. All those are unconstitutional.

For ten years swimming tried the Miskimmin and Castle way. Layton and Cotterill were also given a fair crack of the whip. And they all failed. Look at the numbers. By almost every measure swimming is in a worse position now than it was in 2012. It is time for Sport New Zealand to give the sport 100% back to elected swimming people (like Tongue, McKee, Johns and Francis) who will do a better job. Mind you, that is not going to be difficult.