A string of independent reviews into four elite sporting organisations is forcing Sport New Zealand into pondering its funding model.
Cycling, football, hockey and rowing have either just completed or are undertaking reviews into their environments after athlete and management complaints.
Sport NZ CEO Peter Miskimmin concedes the "win at all costs" approach may need altering.
"It's a good time to have a conversation around ‘what does success look like in high performance?’," he said.
"And I think what we're looking for is an environment where we can both win and we've got athlete welfare and athlete rights."
As it stands, the funding model is based around success with Sport NZ's website dictating its priorities are medals at the Olympics, gold medals at the Paralympics and winning world championships.
However, with the spate of reviews now underway into allegations of bullying, scare tactics, intimidation and inappropriate behaviour, Miskimmin concedes it may have shortcomings.
"Sport and elite sport is changing.
"Behaviours of the past may not be acceptable today and so sports need to take stock of that."
In June, Sport NZ launched its own review led by lawyer Steve Cottrell into the duty of care to athletes.
That was after allegations in cycling and football; since then the rowing and hockey problems have emerged.
Players’ Association boss Rob Nichol says it’s a sign of a bigger issue.
"If issues are bubbling away and they go unaddressed they get a bit bigger and bigger eventually they explode.
"A number of conclusions that some of these reviews will come out with is that boards and management were not close enough to these environments and just didn’t know what was going on."
Miskimmin agrees – to an extent.
"Some sports are doing a really fine job, it's not all doom and gloom, he said.
"But there are some sports that are struggling and know that they need to change and so the reviews that are underway are going to help that."
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