Mark Regan has resigned as a high performance coach in New Zealand. He coached New Zealand's best performed swimmer, Lauren Boyle, to gold and bronze at the world s/c titles in Istanbul last month after a couple of years work turning the swimmer into a world-class act since she returned him from college in the US.

Regan had been based at the Millennium Institute on Auckland's North Shore for three years. media reports in New Zealand suggest he was "frustrated by his employment situation", with a contract that rolled over month-by-month. The Herald On Sunday had sources saying that the arrangement was "demeaning and the cause of extreme stress" to the coach and that he was "treated like he was the janitor at the Millennium Institute ... no wonder he is so demoralised by the state of swimming's leadership".

Swimmers at Regan's programme had been hoping that the departure of high-performance coach Scott Talbot to the New South Wales Institute of Swimming and Sydney University would leave money clear to make Regan's post a permanent one.

His resignation comes at an awkward moment: today marks the arrival of new high-performance director Luis Villanueva from Spain.

A statement from the national swim federation, reads:

Swimming New Zealand reads has confirmed that it has accepted the written resignation of one of its High Performance coaches Mark Regan.

Acting Chief Executive Mark O'Connor said the Board was disappointed that Mr Regan has resigned on the eve of the arrival of the new High Performance Director, Luis Villanueva, who has been the Head Coach and High Performance

Director of the Spanish Swimming Federation. Mr Villanueva will take a leading role in recruiting Mr Regan's replacement. 

Swimming New Zealand will be meeting with the swimmers directly affected by Mr Regan's resignation about on-going arrangements for their coaching after Mr Regan's departure.