Gee, you read some rubbish on the internet. For example, this has just appeared.   “Cycling NZ is a grubby organisation. Swimming NZ is no different – it’s just another member of the same family. Cycling NZ has lost its CEO, Swimming NZ will lose its in the next two years.”

Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) is not a “grubby organisation”. It may have been a few years ago with previous leaders. But through design or lack of money it has changed for the better. The atmosphere is night and day different. The dark, grubby hole SNZ entered on the 28 July 2012 is behind the sport. Today clubs and domestic coaches have been restored to their rightful importance. SNZ is controlling the environment in which we operate – not doing the operating for us. Gone are the succession of foreign administrators and SNZ coaches that told us how bad we were. Swimmers, coaches and administrators are happier controlling their own destiny. As night follows day good results are on their way. Just watch the Mare Nostrum and World Championship results. They may not be perfect but they will be another step forward. No, SNZ is far, far away from being a “grubby organisation”.

And then this, “Swimming NZ will lose its (CEO) in the next two years.” How does anyone know that? I have been a member of SNZ since 1952. That’s 70 years. There have been a couple of breaks in that time, when I was coaching in the UK and the USA. And sure, the CEO has changed several times in those 70 years. So, I guess Steve Johns will eventually move on as well. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, when he considers he’s done what he can, the right thing to do is to move on. It’s a decision for Johns – and Johns alone to make. And when he does, it will not reflect badly on him or the organisation. In fact, if he forced himself to stay – that would be bad. When the time is right, resignations and replacements are vital to a healthy organisation.

And now back to the Cycling New Zealand (CNZ) report.

All these reports focus on the sport involved. Whether it is canoeing, cycling, rowing, gymnastics or swimming the reports target the performance of individuals. He or she didn’t do this. He or she let us down. The issue that is always avoided is that “he or she” were operating in a centralised structure, pre-destined to fail.

Over and over again it happened in Swimming New Zealand (SNZ). The solution was always the same. Get a better coach. Get a better CEO – and all would be well. Inevitably the next foreigner would be imported until he or she would also fail, not because they were not good enough but because the Miskimmin/Castle structure made success impossible.

In 8 years, between 2012 and 2020, Swimming repeated this coaching revolving door cycle 10 times. That’s an average of 9.5 months per national coach. And people wondered why swimming couldn’t win anything.

Even Olivia Podmore’s parents have fallen for the same sleight of hand. In a recent interview Olivia’s mother told Stuff reporter Dana Johannsen:

“The team environment is much stronger with the arrival of a new coaching staff. “The new coach is really great and Livi would have responded so well to him. She would have thrived. It makes me sad to hear that because that is all she wanted – to be given a chance to thrive.”

The problem with that argument is that while Olivia may have thrived in the new coaching environment some other athlete could well and justifiably hate the way things have changed. The centralised structure is to blame. It is impossible for one coach to be all things to cycling’s 5000 members. Just as swimming found it impossible for one coach to please 5000 swimming members. Diversification is the only option. Then athletes have their own wide choice of clubs and coaches.

USA Swimming has operated a diversified structure since it began in 1888. After 134 years it’s hard to argue that hasn’t worked.

Incidentally in 2015 Sport New Zealand’s website said this about Cycling New Zealand (CNZ).

“CNZ is now also reaping the benefits of its new home in Cambridge. The synergies offered by this new facility are helping move the whole business forward. Sport NZ and High Performance Sport New Zealand continue to support and invest in the capability development of CNZ at governance and operational levels, as well as Cycling’s development and high performance work.”   

Six years later Olivia Podmore was dead. So much for Sport New Zealand’s “support” at “governance and operational levels as well as Cycling’s high performance work”. Surely that admission of participation in the management of CNZ must count as Sport New Zealand accepting its responsibility for Olivia Podmore’s death.

And finally, I got the following email today from a South Island reader who knows a fair bit about swimming, canoeing and cycling. Here is an edited version of what she said.

“I liked your column today. About 5 years ago I came to the same conclusion. We have a dictatorship by Sport NZ which is impossible to change because most clubs are apathetic or key people think they will get higher honours (so keep their heads down and act like good Germans during WWII) so getting a two thirds majority for constitutional change is impossible or even rolling the board is impossible because Sport NZ control 3 of the 7 directorships.

Canoeing restructured in the period just before Swimming NZ. Sport NZ took full control in 2010 but what it did in 2004-8 showed how they operate. Sport NZ in 2003-4 agreed to pay for a parttime administrator leading up to the Athens Games which they did. Then Sport NZ told Canoeing to keep the administrator on. The Canoeing Board asked Sport NZ who is going to pay her as Canoeing did not have the money. Miskimming categorically told Canoeing that Sport NZ would – 6 months later Canoeing had received nothing, 9 months later Canoeing was broke and let the administrator go.

In 2007 Sport NZ began to panic as Olympic medals were on the line. Sport NZ said they had just the person for the job as long as Canoeing restructured. Canoeing agreed, as the gun was pointed at its head. Sport NZ brought on Richard DeGroen, ex cricket and an accountant. He was great and soon realised Canoeing was broke and Sport NZ were arseholes. Richard was a sportsman at heart and an honest good bugger. Richard eventually told Sport NZ they knew nothing about sport in NZ and resigned.

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice you have chosen the side of the oppressor” Desmond Tutu.

This quote sums up our sports administrators and politicians who just want to get the money and appear in the limelight.”

So there you have it. The same pattern as Swimming New Zealand. The largess, the threats and then the forced restructure. That is how Miskimmin grew his empire into the beast that killed Olivia Podmore – and is eating New Zealand sport into a world of malfeasance.

I see that Alexa Cook has reported on a National Party conference in Paraparaumu. According to her report, “the National Party is firing more shots at the Government over its spending ahead of the Budget being released on May 19.”

National brought out its big guns for the occasion. Luxon and the hovering spectre of Willis were both there. The report declares that “Willis delivered blows to the Finance Minister.”

In one of those blows Willis said, “Debt is now at 36 percent of GDP and is continuing to rise,” I have no idea where Willis gets her figures from. The best I can find is from the International Monetary Fund: World Economic Outlook Database – a pretty reliable source. This tells me that New Zealand’s 2022 debt to GDP is in fact 28.07% – who to believe, a pampered ex-Marsden posh school stereotype or the International Monetary Fund? Let me think for two seconds.

Her specious claim, of course, provides no context. She fails to mention that New Zealand has the 160^th lowest ratio of debt to GDP in the world. Labour under Finance Minister, Grant Robertson, has put New Zealand into a far better position than countries like Japan (237%), the United States (106%), France (99%), Canada (88%), the UK (85%), Finland (60%), China (55%) and Switzerland (39%).

Missing that international context is a typical right wing political lie. A lie by omission, perhaps but a lie, nevertheless. I suspect Willis has trouble lying straight in bed. I have written before that Willis learned her bad behaviour at Marsden School and bit by bit examples of her schoolyard treachery are beginning to appear. Her description of the level of New Zealand’s debt sounds terrible until you understand that most of the world have double, treble or more, debt than we have.

And then Luxon is reported to have said, “We’ll abolish the Māori Health Authority.” That policy is straight, old-fashioned racism. It promotes attitudes that have no place in New Zealand. He has shown himself to be racist. Māori health statistics are a disgrace. A Ministry to address the problem is entirely appropriate – unless you happen to be a white National Party flunky or privileged Luxon and Willis set on wresting power from Jacinda at any cost.   

Do not trust the National gang. Whether it is promoting an $18,000 tax cut for himself, pitching for the early death of Māori or exaggerating to a point of deceit, New Zealand’s debt, Luxon and Willis will do anything for power. These two are no Keith Holyoake, no Jack Marshall, no Bill English not even a Simon Bridges. They were honourable men.  

Always remember Luxon spent 5 years working in Chicago. We can only hope the anti-black politics of that city are not being imported into New Zealand. Also remember that Loxon has a history of helping kill black people. While he was CEO of Air New Zealand, its contracting business unit, Gas Turbines, was assisting the  Saudi royal family’s naval vessels, blockade essential supplies like water, food and medical assistance from Yemen. Luxon did business with the people that killed, beheaded and dismembered journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Luxon’s business helped starve to death Yemen’s black people.

The UN estimates that the conflict in Yemen caused over 377,000 deaths, with 60% of them the result of hunger, lack of healthcare and unsafe water – all the destitution Luxon’s company helped the Saudi’s deliver.

Luxon claimed to “have no recollection of it” and that “it might’ve post-dated my time.” If you believe that, I have a new bridge outside Ashburton to sell you. And if it is true, how incompetent is a CEO who does not know when his company is up to its eyeballs helping the Saudi navy deprive Yemen of food, water and medical supplies. Either Luxon lies or is incompetent or possibly both.

A country deserves the politicians it votes for. I do not think New Zealand has done anything to deserve a Luxon or his hovering spectre.   

Sport New Zealand’s investigation into the structure of sport has been a stunning waste of time and money. Oh, it has suited the Castle gang perfectly. Attention has been focused on incompetents at Cycling New Zealand (CNZ). Sport New Zealand’s corruption has escaped scrutiny, yet again.

I know there will be readers saying, “There goes Wright again, using words like corruption to describe the wonderful people at Sport New Zealand. Look at all the money they hand out. They do not deserve a word like corrupt.”

Please, just give me a chance to tell you why. Because the structure of sport is founded on autocratic rule. Sport in New Zealand is not democratic – nothing like democratic. And in our society that is corrupt.

The previous CEO of Sport New Zealand, Peter Miskimmin, changed the Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) constitution. That happened at a Special General Meeting (SGM) held on 28 July 2012. To say it was a brutal blood bath would be an understatement.

The meeting began with an announcement that no media attendance would be allowed. These affairs were not for public scrutiny. If dark deeds were to be done, they would be done in secret.

A Miskimmin disciple called, Chris Moller then addressed the Meeting. He congratulated those able to see the future of the sport. That future turned out to be a decade of unparalleled misery and failure to perform.

Moller then called for the Auckland Board and its Chief Executive, who had opposed changing the constitution, to stand down. Members got the message. Do what you are told or get out. Dissent would be treated harshly in the new SNZ. The message of Tiananmen Square was not lost on Sport New Zealand.

And behind it all lay the unspoken spectre of accept a new constitution or say goodbye to future funding. Taxpayer’s money was used to extend Sport New Zealand’s power. The SGM chose the money and changed the constitution.

What’s so wrong with that, you might ask? Well, the new constitution changed swimming from a democracy, where the members elected their leaders, to an autocracy where effectively the CEO of Sport New Zealand appointed those who would rule the sport. The way Miskimmin did that was to alter the constitution. Three members of the governing Board would be elected and three would be appointed by Miskimmin. In the event of a tied Board vote the Chairman would have a second deciding vote – and the Chairman would also be decided by Miskimmin. SNZ became part of a Sport New Zealand autocracy.

Flushed with his success in swimming, Miskimmin went around New Zealand imposing the same constitutional dictatorship on Rowing, Canoeing, Cycling, Gymnastics and a dozen other sports. New Zealand sport became a huge, centralised Sport New Zealand dictatorship. Miskimmin had, and now Raelene Castle has, absolute, constitutional power to rule.

When the same thing happened in Putin’s Russia, or the Marco’s Philippines, or in Hong Kong we rushed to call Putin, Marcos and Xi, corrupt. They constitutionally changed their countries from democracies to dictatorships. Why then should Miskimmin and Castle escape the same label, when they have done the same thing to New Zealand sport.

Being a centralised dictatorship has allowed Miskimmin and Castle to impose their immorality and standards on the sports they rule. My argument has always been, the culture they allowed to fester, effectively killed Olivia Podmore – not the CNZ coach, or the CNZ CEO, but the culture, norms and money sanctioned by the supreme leaders, Miskimmin and Castle.

In swimming we still have a Board of six members, three appointed and three elected. The three appointed members are Andrew Kelleher, Margaret McKee and Donna Bridgeman. And it is time for them to go. If they want to sit on the SNZ Board let them stand for election like any other self-respecting New Zealander. If democracy is good enough to run the country, it’s good enough to run swimming. We do not need or want Sport New Zealand lackies telling us what to do – especially when they are associated with a culture that killed one of our best sportswomen.

It is off the subject, but Margaret McKee would be on the SNZ Board even if it was democratic. Talented and able, I’m surprised she agreed to participate in Miskimmin’s autocratic sham. She knows better than that.

The rot in New Zealand sport will not be fixed by the current worthless report. Why? Because the investigation chickened out of addressing the root cause of the problem. Democracy has been abandoned in the name of Sport New Zealand power. Like most similar regimes “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. After the Folau mess, I certainly would not trust Castle with my daughter’s swimming career. Aimee Fisher, Jessie Smith, Lauren Boyle and Glenn Snyders obviously came to the same conclusion. They left Sport New Zealand’s dangerously corrupt world and went off to do their own thing. Olivia Podmore realised the same thing but left it too late to get out. But is it likely Heron and Leberman would address that issue? Of course not. Not when the “Dear Leader” was paying their wages.

The next Swimwatch post will address a second fundamental issue ignored by this pathetically weak Heron/Leberman effort. Heron has tried to reform cycling twice without success. I thought university degrees specialised in developing analytical skills. In my opinion missing sports lack of democratic institutions is not the best advertisement for their Victoria and Massey University education.

PS – I see Dana Johannsen reports today that sports administrator, Kereyn Smith has been appointed, “transformational director” at CNZ, with High Performance Sport NZ to pick up the tab for Smith’s salary.

I have huge respect for Kereyn Smith. She is straight and honest. Her ego does not get in the way of making good decisions. But her new job is a lost cause. It is not CNZ that needs “transforming”. It was not SNZ that needed “transforming”. Sport New Zealand is the problem, and it is paying Smith’s wages.

When Kereyn Smith transforms New Zealand sport into a democracy again, where Boards are elected by the members and Castle is stripped of direct power then her appointment will have merit. She is the person to do it – but will she? Until then, Kereyn Smith has only been appointed by Castle to protect Castle. Another “look what I’ve done” sleight of hand.   

The investigation into the death of Olivia Podmore will publish its Report on Monday next week, the 16 May 2022.

The Report’s authors, Sarah Leberman and Michael Heron distributed the following email today.

Kia ora koutou,

Thank you for your participation in the Cycling New Zealand High Performance New Zealand Independent Inquiry.  It has been a privilege to be part of this kaupapa and we are grateful for your contribution.  In the end, more than 200 people engaged directly with us.   

We write to provide an update to those we have an email for (please forward to anyone you think may need to know).  We have delivered a final report to CNZ and HPSNZ.  That report will be made available to the public on the afternoon of Monday 16 May.  CNZ and HPSNZ will handle the distribution and general communications about the report, and any questions about what happens next can be directed to them. 

Thank you again for your engagement, and we wish you all the best.

Noho ora mai rā,  

Mike and Sarah  

On Monday then we will know the conclusions that have been reached. But before then we can speculate.

Has the death of Olivia Podmore acted as a catalyst for change? Are those responsible for her death identified and will they be held to account? Have the structural shortcomings of High Performance Sport New Zealand’s (HPSNZ) empire been exposed? Will changes be made to the people, the structure and the honesty of high-performance sport in New Zealand? Will Raelene Castle accept responsibility for Podmore’s death and be asked to resign? Will centralised training be abandoned?

In my opinion, the answer to all those questions is NO. This Report, like a hundred reports that have gone before will change nothing. This Report will be a whitewash designed to dig Castle and HPSNZ out of a hole. Over 200 people contributed to the investigation. Many of them are hoping for a New Zealand sporting earthquake on Monday. They are going to get a gentle breeze barely enough to move the curtains in Castle’s Harbour City Centre office.

Alan Thompson’s dismissal will have been for nothing. The near destruction of Swimming New Zealand will have been for nothing. My health will have suffered irreparable damage for nothing. Olivia Podmore will have died for nothing. Cover ups are a HPSNZ speciality. This Report will be no different.

I see the Report has already been delivered to Cycling New Zealand (CNZ) and HPSNZ. You can bet your life carefully crafted answers are being prepared for Monday’s release. Nothing that Abby Wilson, Zoe George, David Long or Dana Johannsen can ask will not have been given a good public relation going over.

If ever there was a time for some “in depth” Fleet Street journalism, it is now. Olivia Podmore deserves no less. Last week Zoe George interviewed CNZ interim chief executive Monica Robbers. We got a taste there of how Ms Robbers intends to fob off any criticism. Here are examples of her corporate speak. My guess is we will hear a lot more of this from Ms. Robbers and Ms. Castle on Monday.       

The letter was delivered after “significant consultation”

“This practice of emailing a letter is no longer the practice”.

CNZ is not aware of the practice, and “it is one that would never be condoned”.

She said high performance staff “were only ever fully supportive and there is correspondence on file that represents this viewpoint”.

Robbers says (athletes were) given “significant support” by CNZ and also paid for private support.

“Mary (name changed) deserves a lot of credit for being open and willing to talk about things openly. She has been very courageous.”

Robbers says “there is no substance” to the claims of staff breaching confidentiality.

Just a pile of corporate speak garbage. “Significant consultation, no longer the practice, would never be condoned, fully supportive, correspondence on file, significant support, paid for private support and no substance to breaching confidentiality”. It’s all there ready to be rolled out again on Monday. Ms. Robbers has clearly learned nothing from the death of one of her athletes. No humility, no shame, no regret and no apology. If all her assurances had a grain of truth, now come Olivia Podmore is dead.

CNZ and HPSNZ should not get away with this travesty – but they will. At least that’s my prediction.

I am a supporter of immigration. The New Zealand I grew up in was a very WASP (white, Anglo-Saxon, protestant) place. And we were an intolerant lot. Even those who were here before us had to mold themselves obediently into our language, culture and norms. Britain was where we were from and British, we would stay. God who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet, and all that stuff. But that has changed. And changed for the better.

The immigration of Asians, Arabs, Africans, Pacific Islanders and the like have brought with them diversity and tolerance. They say travel broadens the mind. Well immigration travel has done the same thing to our country. And it is good.

There are however one or two exceptions. People who, in my opinion, have fled their country of birth because they could no longer tolerate the social changes occurring there. They have come to New Zealand in the hope of imposing their right-wing reactionary lives. The best examples are some imports from white South Africa. And the best example of that, in my opinion, is radio partisan zealot, Heather du Plessis-Allan.

Already two complaints about Heather du Plessis-Allan’s use of the term ‘leeches’ to describe the Pacific Islands have been upheld by the Broadcasting Standards Authority, under both the good taste and decency and discrimination and denigration standards. The Authority recognised that her language was inflammatory, devalued the reputation of Pasifika people and had the potential to cause widespread offence and distress.

Day after day she continues to spread a message across New Zealand that I find vile. I do not want any part of apartheid South Africa imported here. It was and is a depraved and miserable message that has no place in the civilised, multi-cultural and tolerant place New Zealand is trying to become.

For example, last night she was banging on about the Act Party’s plan to abolish minority government ministries – especially those that were race specific. According to du Plessis-Allan what a great idea. After all wasn’t giving Maori or Pacific Islanders a hand up racist? Wasn’t it against the very foundation of democracy? Didn’t it fly in the face of “one man, one vote”? She has obviously forgotten that not so long ago “one man, one vote” literally meant just that. Without those who came before the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Du Plessis-Allan would not have a vote.

For twenty minutes her radio station preached a toxic message right out of the Hendrik Verwoerd bible. She came within a whisker of promoting the abolition of minority ministries as a policy of “good-neighbourliness” – as an improvement in our social and democratic lives. As different races and cultures have different beliefs and values, they could only reach their full potential if they lived and developed without government assistance. Pursuing a policy of independent development — apartheid by any other name — and restricting New Zealand’s efforts to address past wrongs was best for us all. She didn’t say it, but best for us whites was what she implied. We can do without that malignancy.

And she is breeding. Is there another right-wing bigot or perhaps this child will see the errors of its parents? Perhaps this boy will see their sickness? Perhaps inclusion will take precedent over exclusion? We can only hope.

I see Willie Jackson, in a conversation on this Act Party policy, called David Seymour “he’s just a useless Māori, that’s all”. Isn’t that the truth. Jackson could well have added, “And isn’t Du Plessis-Allan just a useless pakeha, that’s all”. Perhaps a term I heard growing up in Te Reinga, “white maggot”, might be appropriate – after all if the cap fits.