What will the changes to Sport New Zealand actually mean?

RNZ News

a day ago

Photo:
123rf.com
Explainer:
The news landed with a thud within, and outside, the walls of Sport New Zealand.
When the then-minister for sport and recreation, Chris Bishop,
ordered an independent rapid review of the crown agency in November last year
, the nervous rumblings were felt immediately across the sector.
The purpose of the review, according to a statement from the minister's office, was to "provide assurance and visibility… that the use of public funding by the Sport NZ Group is efficient and effective".
One sports official with knowledge of the review told RNZ there were concerns that Sport NZ's funding strategy had become a "cash free-for-all".
The move was interpreted by many as a signal from the government that fundamental changes were coming for the way Sport NZ operates and funds both elite and community level sport.
Last week, the long-awaited findings of the review landed with barely a whimper.
Mark Mitchell, who took over as minister for sport and recreation in the cabinet reshuffle at the beginning of the year, said the findings of
the independent review highlighted the "effectiveness and efficiency" of Sport NZ
.
Far from the brutal overhaul many had feared, the report's recommendations focused on potential changes to the institutional and governance arrangements of the agency.
The review, led by senior public sector leader Brendan Boyle, gave Sport NZ a tick of approval when it comes to the agency's operations and performance.
The findings also dispelled concerns over Sport NZ's financial performance.
Boyle found Sport NZ's corporate and operating costs were in line with public sector benchmarks.
Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle said the findings of the review reinforced the work her agency does.
"The biggest thing is that all of the measures of how we're performing as an agency - the headcount we have versus our revenue profile, the number of contractors we have - all of those things that are really big for a government organisation came out very positively and at the lower end of the guidelines," Castle said.
"So, the sector and our partners can be assured that we are always wanting to make sure we have the right headcount to support the sector. But also we're always thinking about what we can do to cost save, so we can invest as much as we can into the people that are doing the work on the ground."
Minister for Sport and Recreation Mark Mitchell.
Photo:
RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The key action Mitchell is taking following the review is to move the strategic policy function to the Ministry of Culture and Heritage (MCH).
The review highlighted an anomaly with Sport NZ's set-up in that the agency serves as both the policy advisor to the government and a decision-maker on funding. Boyle pointed out there were potential conflicts of interest in this arrangement.
"As a Crown entity, the operations of Sport NZ are at arm's length from the minister. However, Sport NZ is unusual in that it also includes the policy function that is typically included in the monitoring agency, providing independent policy advice and line of sight to the minister," the report reads.
"The current arrangements create a potential conflict of interest for Sport NZ in being both policy advisor as well as the decision-maker for funding."
The report also noted that this arrangement means that Sport NZ is not as well-integrated into the wider government policy network and agenda as it should be.
The minister is also advancing "minor amendments" to the appointments process for the High Performance Sport NZ and Taumata Māori boards.
Sport New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle was pleased with the findings of the review.
Photo:
Photosport
Castle said Sport NZ's partners and wider stakeholders won't see much of a difference in how the organisation operates.
"There won't be a significant difference. It's more back house operational policy and relationships between government departments is where that change in responsibility will sit, but actually the implementation on the ground won't change," she says.
"It means that going forward, the big pieces of strategic policy that get developed will be led by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage. They will hold the pen, if you like, but they will work with [Sport NZ] to seek our input to understand the impacts for the sector. So, we'll still support and contribute to those processes, we just won't be the lead agency.
"Then, once the high level policy stuff is determined, that then comes to deliver that piece of policy and put in place the operational things around it."
A working group of Sport NZ, MCH, Treasury and Public Service Commission officials has been established to work through how the final structure will look.
Castle says it is likely some staff from Sport NZ will move over to MCH.
The strategic policy function is intended to move to MCH by 1 October this year.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.