Yachting NZ to be investigated

[Black Panther 1,765]

I used to drive the Morris minor to school with a Cherokee on a trailer, then disappear at lunchtime. 

[Psyche 795]

My favourite image from the last Olympics was of this gold medalTurkish shooter. 
Obviously very talented, but didn't look like he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars getting there. 

I think it's a bit unfair to blame the lack of Olympic success solely at the feet of YNZ. So much has changed in New Zealand socially and in the Olympics as far as what's required to get to the top step.
 

 

 

[boxonsmash 9]

At least the gentleman above got to the Olympics Mr  Psyche.  Unlike far too many Kiwi sailors who won slots to the Olympics and weren't sent.

But no one in this thread has blamed YNZ for a lack of Olympic success.  What contributors on this thread are saying YNZ has to be held accountable for the mess it has gotten NZ  Olympic sailing into, the conduct revealed in its own internal inquiry ,and that which will revealed in the Sports Integrity Commission inquiry.  YNZ  must have been totally insensitive, tone deaf and blind to the lessons it should have learned from the damming inquiries into Rowing  NZ, Cycling NZ and  Canoe Racing NZ. 

Who  do you think should be held accountable;    The NZ Hockey Association , The Wanganui Opera  Society,  or The Greymouth La  Leche League ?

If not YNZ is not responsible for running itself out of  Olympic sailors who is?

 

 

[boxonsmash 9]

I see someone new seems to have a fair bit to say about what's going on at YNZ.  I wonder who SHE  can be ? Why haven't we been told ?

All will be revealed soon, but remember , you heard about it first at Crew.org

[boxonsmash 9]

And what I mean by  ' having a fair bit to say about what's going on, is that she is calling a lot of the shots now.

All will be revealed soon, but remember you heard about it first at  crew.org

[khayyam 101]

https://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/news/yachting-new-zealand-chief-executive-david-abercrombie-step-down

[waikiore 477]

There are really good people on the board of Yachting NZ , hopefully they will make it easier for some of us who annually pay many affiliation fees to avoid this , as David just fudged the matter.  

[boxonsmash 9]

Well here's the "inhouse ' report  written by Kereyn Smith which YNZ has sat on for the last 3 months.  Not a word to their masters the affiliated clubs  or the rank and file sailors in 3 months. Not a word.  To say it is an absolute condemnation of their high performance program is to be minimalist . It is an absolute total evisceration.

If nothing else just read paras 14 & 17 of that report below and answer the question, did he jump or was he pushed ?

A clue , could the report have been any worse ? And the Sports Integrity  Commission report is yet to come.

As I said a week ago , You saw it first at crew.org

 

[ex Elly 258]

Yachting NZ boss steps down amid major reset

However, there was no suggestion in Yachting NZ's statement that Abercrombie's departure was linked to the events of a tumultuous past six months.

RNZ has learned the beleaguered national body has called in veteran administrator Kereyn Smith, who is fast becoming New Zealand sport's "Ms Fix-it", to lead a cultural overhaul of the sport.

The appointment of Smith comes after Sport NZ agreed to chip in $30,000 to assist the national body.

Those tasked with leading Yachting NZ's cultural reset find themselves in the unusual position of implementing a set of recommendations before an external investigation is complete.

That has led to some concern within the sailing community that Yachting NZ was potentially pre-empting or undermining the findings of the Sport Integrity Commission's investigation by moving forward before the full picture is known.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/543088/yachting-nz-boss-steps-down-amid-major-reset

 

[boxonsmash 9]

Did he jump or was he pushed ? The most benevolent thing one could say about our soon to depart Great Supreme  Leader was that he jumped milliseconds before he was to be pushed.  The "internal" review was about as bad as any in the history of NZ sporting management.    His position had become wholly untenable. To believe otherwise one would have to believe; 

                 Elvis is still alive,  the  Earth is flat,  and  that man landing on the moon was  faked.

But then you would also have to believe the review was wholly internally initiated. Because in November Chris Bishop the Minister of Sport & Recreation ordered a review into aspects of the Sports  NZ Group which includes High  Performance Sport NZ & Sports  NZ.  HPSNZ was expressing concern about the YNZ selection issues since before the Paris Olympics.  Like running out of sailors .

So if you think the $30,000 Sports NZ paid for this review didn't come with major strings attached ,see above under " Elvis is still alive"

The review describes itself  "as a matter of course review held after each  Olympics. So the current regime has held 4 previous such reviews and things are still so  bad !  It's not as though there is anything remarkably new in the reviews suggestions . Some of the references in its bibliography are 12 years old.

And though the self congratulatory note of the departee tells us "it was a privilege to serve the yachting community", the nature of the review suggests that such feelings may not be reciprocated by the sailing community itself.

Considering that the Chairperson of the review has been empowered to ensure the findings of her review are made operational and permanent the higher authorities must not have been sure YNZ was capable of doing so themselves. What other reason would there be ?

And here we are two months after the review was published it has still not been made available by YNZ to Yacht  Clubs or rank and file sailors.

I note that more than 2 months after it started its work, the  ports Integrity Commission is still willing to accept submissions.

It is not possible that the Board  of YNZ are not also substantially responsible for the nature of the reviews findings.  It is not normal for the Board to go unscathed in situations like these. Perhaps the findings of the Sport Integrity Commission will make them accept that responsibility. Because far greater management and governance changes are needed than the one we have seen !

[splat 57]

If we look at the 2023-2024 annual report , YNZ members contribute circa $640-650k per annum, with the bulk of funding( millions) coming from grants,sponsorship and philanthropy - interestingly the expenditure on admininstration was a few thousand less than the members' contributions.  The amount the members contribute is arguably trivial relative to YNZ annual budget and expenditure. The annual report outlined a circa  2023-2024 700k trading loss.

How long can or should the members tolerate that loss continuing? If it was you local club running that kind of loss...heads would roll right? or is it okay YNZ runs a loss?

 

[Psyche 795]

YNZ is not a profit making organisation, like most sporting bodies it relies on members support and as you mention grants, donations etc.

Personally I think yacht club members get a lot of value for their $30 given what YNZ does. Go into a chandlers and see what $30 gets for your boat- a short bit of string and not much else! 

[waikiore 477]

I dont begrudge paying once but through every yacht club ????

[Psyche 795]

I used to think the same, but we are talking first world problems here. If someone wants to join two, three or more yacht clubs then surely they can afford $30 each time.

What's a race entry somewhere between 20 and $45 depending on the club and membership so really the yachting New Zealand fee is chicken feed. In fact, if you do the numbers on the cost of keeping an average racing yacht in a marina, the cost of new sails, boat maintenance, etc then the cost per Race very quickly becomes hundreds of dollars per entry if you start rationalising.

In the context of this discussion, high-performance sailing is only one part of Yacht in New Zealand's function, people have been grumbling about yachting New Zealand for years from the sidelines but just like anything in politics it's not a spectator sport you have to get involved to make changes and I'm not seeing very many people doing so or even starting alternative organisations that represent their needs.

[Clipper 373]

So you are saying as we are all rich and can afford it, doesn't matter if they do a sh*t job?

 

[CarpeDiem 527]

3 hours ago, waikiore said:

I dont begrudge paying once but through every yacht club ????

You can opt out of this. There's a established process and you simply fill out a form and submit it to your the club you want to keep your levy.

It's of course up to your yacht club if it's worth the effort to retain the $... And they might or might not refund it to you. 

[waikiore 477]

They have specifically made it onerous for clubs/ members to opt out using their form -so most clubs wont entertain it . Of note lately are the numbers of members bleeding from the gold plater clubs to their local or even more economic town based options ...

[lebleaux 13]

Perhaps its not all that bad after all ... spotted yesterday on Facebook. How's that axe, must be razor sharp by now.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The quality of Yachting New Zealand's leadership has once again been recognised with the awarding of Sport New Zealand's Governance Mark - the highest acknowledgement of its kind in the country.

The mark is awarded to New Zealand sporting bodies through a comprehensive evaluation process based on internationally accepted governance principles. It assesses an organisation’s clarity and cohesion, its communication and engagement with its people and stakeholders, and its integrity and accountability.

Introduced in 2016, the Governance Mark is part of Sport New Zealand's good-practice governance framework for play, active recreation, and sport organisations in the country. It is valid for three years and was first awarded to Yachting New Zealand in 2021.

To achieve the Governance Mark, organisations are assessed against 37 good governance standards based on international best practices. It signifies an organisation that is clear about how it allocates time and resources, has a well-structured approach to strategy development, and effectively monitors its implementation. It also demonstrates accountability to stakeholders through structured communication and operates within a strong ethical framework, with the board understanding the strategic nature of its role.

Yachting New Zealand board chair Greg Knowles said he was pleased that the organisation received the Governance Mark again.

"The assessment of Yachting New Zealand by an independent governance expert is very thorough, and I would like to acknowledge the considerable team effort, led by the board and supported by the Yachting New Zealand leadership group," Knowles said.

"Above all, the Governance Mark provides assurance that Yachting New Zealand is on the right path, allowing us to confidently move forward."

Sport New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle said Yachting New Zealand should be proud of its achievement.

"We would like to congratulate Yachting New Zealand on being awarded the Governance Mark. It is well-deserved recognition for its commitment to ongoing improvement," Castle said.

"The process for achieving the mark is rigorous, and this accomplishment reflects Yachting New Zealand’s dedication and strong leadership in our sector."

[SloopJohnB 328]

So why is DA stepping down, if it is that good??????

[Psyche 795]

He's is not a young fella anymore so best guess retirement, or maybe he's just had enough of being pilloried by people who pay (or dont pay!)30 bucks a year and think YNZ should save the world? IDK and really its none of our business.