By David

I am conscious that the author of a blog such as Swimwatch needs to be careful that the blog remains positive. It should not become a constant source of complaints. During this period of mismanagement of swimming in New Zealand it has been difficult to avoid the whingeing label. Someone needed to say something. The behaviour of the Board and senior management could not be ignored. And, again today I noticed a report on the Wellington Capital Swim Club’s website that is of concern. What is it that the CEO of SPARC, Peter Miskimmin, is allowing his subordinates in Swimming New Zealand to do? Here is the report I found on the Capital Swim Club’s website.

Update from the Chair

Hi

Wellington Regional High Performance Unit

Last night your Board met with the CEO’s of SNZ and WhiPA to finalise the lane space that will be used by the CSC and HPU. The Board agreed that the formation of a Wellington Regional HPU was in the best interests of swimmers and the sport and has no detrimental effect on the CSC. It sees some of the overall benefits as:
A net gain for swimming including Capital swimmers

Swimming has more lanes

Swimming has more 50m set ups

Swimming has a first opportunity to run a complete HPU in Wellington in accord with SNZ strategic direction to form regional HPU’s

Greater opportunity to get leading edge swimming equipment

Greater opportunity to recruit sponsorship

Parents and swimmers of members of the CSC HPU were recently briefed by the CEO of SNZ and Gary Hurring on what this means for them. All members of the CSC HPU will transfer into the Wellington Regional HPU. It will be operational from 16 January 2012 and based at WRAC. (subject to written agreement with the WCC -see below)

The formation of the Wellington Regional HPU will mean a restructuring of our squads and a change of pool for training from WRAC to Freyberg. Timon and Luke are currently working through the squad changes and these will be advised as soon as the exercise has been completed and confirmed by the Board.

The last remaining thing that is required before this can proceed is confirmation from the Wellington City Council on the lane space and the signing of a 3- 5 year written agreement between us on lane space at WRAC and Freyberg. We are hoping to have this in place by 16 December 2011.

If you have any feedback you wish to provide please do so by Friday 6 December 2011.

Regards Greg Crott

I am not concerned that a High Performance Unit is being established in Wellington. The merits of that decision can be debated at another time. What is of concern is the decision making process employed to arrive at this announcement. Miskimmin effectively runs Swimming New Zealand these days. This announcement is his responsibility. How has he performed? Not very well is the answer. He has demonstrated a liking for autocratic rule. He occupies a powerful position and wields that power with little concern for procedure or process. Just consider the following list of factors that should cause unease among swimming people.

1. A new Swimming New Zealand High Performance Unit is a major structural change. And yet it is not even reported on the SNZ website. Swimming New Zealand enters into a five year contract with the Wellington City Council for pool space and they tell no one. Miskimmin gets his hired help to hide the decision. A geek like me has to find the announcement of a major structural change in an obscure corner of a local swimming club’s website. Like many of his agreements, for some reason, Miskimmin seems to want to hide this one. And I think I know why.
2. I can find no record of this decision being discussed or approved by the Board of Swimming New Zealand. The organization is about to sign a $300,000 contract for five years pool space without Board approval. Evidently that’s not required these days. Get Miskimmin’s verbal approval – I hear he commits very little to writing – and Byrne and Butler scurry off to do their master’s bidding.
3. As we all know Swimming New Zealand is currently in the middle of a hugely expensive “Period of Review”. What will the future structure of Swimming New Zealand look like? Will the organization continue to directly manage New Zealand’s high performance swimmers? Will the structure of Swimming New Zealand be based on a centralist model or be founded on what Swimwatch has called “rugged individualism”. The whole place is up for review. Miskimmin has said all the options are on the table. The future, he says, cannot be constrained by the organization’s past. The best solutions, whatever they are, must be found for this sport. And yet while Miskimmin is saying all this stuff his employees are making structural changes and financial promises that will commit Swimming New Zealand to the Miskimmin unspoken plan for another five years. It is a slight of hand of Houdini proportions. Miskimmin has never wanted to reform swimming. He just wants it moulded to his image.
4. A key to the Miskimmin plan is to have Swimming New Zealand enter into long term structural changes and financial contracts that the Review Committee must take into account. Far from all the options being on the table, Miskimmin is putting in place structures that guarantee the Review Committee can only come to one conclusion – the Miskimmin Conclusion.
5. I am concerned about the position of Gary Hurring. In another typical example of Miskimmin duplicity Gary was appointed to the Swimming New Zealand Review Committee. The announcement of the new Wellington High Performance Unit means Gary will be paid a portion of his income by the Swimming New Zealand high performance organization. How can Gary possibly sit on a Committee charged with possibly abolishing Swimming New Zealand’s involvement in High Performance swimming when his income is so dependent on Swimming New Zealand preserving its high performance role? He has a serious and obvious conflict of interest. I suspect that will cause Gary some concern – it certainly should. I don’t think it will worry Miskimmin. He could see it simply as a tricky way of buying another vote. Gary should get off the Review Committee before his reputation and standing are compromised beyond repair.

Beware – although this announcement is presented to you in the guise of all that’s good for Wellington swimmers, it is probably a deception assembled by skilled operators to manipulate the work of the Review Committee. Right from the beginning I have consistently warned Swimming New Zealand’s regions that they were being conned and silenced by skilled operators. That is still my view. Why else has Swimming New Zealand made this change in secret? Why else hasn’t Miskimmin told you about it?