NZ's Elite Athlete Breaking Point Research To Be Shared With Five Eyes Nations

Scoop

22-06-2025

A world-first performance transformation framework developed in New Zealand from research into the psychological breaking point of elite athletes has caught the attention of police forces in North America and the United Kingdom, with a number of trials in discussion.
The move follows the inking of long-term contracts with global law enforcement advisory organisation World Policing in the UK, which provides governance and technical advice to thousands of police forces around the world, and a specialist consulting firm that supports Government security and law enforcement agencies throughout Europe and North America, including the FBI.
Vantaset, founded by performance expert Craig Steel, whose team includes a former All Blacks manager and two Olympians, has unveiled a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) model designed to optimise workplace performance using a scientifically engineered system to help athletes deliver personal bests on demand.
The global interest from global law enforcement and defence agencies in the company's platform, which took seven years and $7 million to develop, follows the success of an earlier iteration of the framework with the New Zealand Police under former commissioner Mike Bush.
The process, which was credited by Bush as helping him achieve what was described as one of the most successful Government sector transformations in history, not only lifted staff engagement and public trust in the organisation, it helped him reduce crime by over 20%.[1]
Steel says discussions are underway with a number of North American police chiefs and defence experts who have identified their process as a potential solution to address plummeting engagement and retention issues they are facing.
'They told us this was the most promising process they've seen to address what they describe as a leadership and engagement crisis affecting critical agencies globally, so piloting the process is the logical next step in demonstrating its effectiveness in this environment.'
Bernard Rix, chairman of World Policing says, 'Given the demonstrable impact Vantaset's technology had on New Zealand Police, we're confident it can be implemented in other law enforcement agencies around the world to help them improve the performance of their respective forces, which is why we've partnered with them.'
Steel's work began three decades ago as a study into 'athlete capitulation', the moment top athletes psychologically collapse under pressure. By reverse engineering the process he identified that caused it, Steel developed a repeatable framework that helped New Zealand athletes amass over 20 World Cup and World Championship equivalent titles.
Described as 'one of the single greatest breakthroughs in human performance,' the framework delivered unparalleled results, enabling athletes to achieve personal bests 87% of the time they competed in Tier 1 events compared to the international average of 8-10%.
'What began as a system for world-class athletes is now changing the way organisations develop and engage their workforce,' says Steel.
'We're focused on helping organisations, including the Police, improve the impact and effectiveness of their staff as their personal performance is vital to the nations they represent.
Kiwi Olympians Moss Burmester and advisor Anthony Moss are part of the team looking to take the same high-performance principles that helped them succeed on the world stage into boardrooms, government agencies and frontline services.
Steel says too many organisations default to a risk-averse mindset, building internal frameworks focused on controlling resources which stifles ingenuity.
'Our work began with high-performance sport. But when we were invited to trial it in business, the results were just as transformative.
Steel's system codifies elite performance enabling leaders to support every level of their organisation. 'It's about unlocking the potential that already exists in their business as opposed to just trying to mitigate its risks, which crushes innovation.
'In elite sport, the goal is never to avoid failure, it's to produce something exceptional. But in the business world, most performance management systems are built to manage issues when they occur rather than amplifying the organisation's capacity to perform,' he says.
Steel says Vantaset's platform 'flips the script' by embedding performance principles drawn from decades of helping top-tier athletes win on the world stage.
'What we've done is build a high-performance operating system that organisations can scale across their entire workforce so they can embed a proven way of working that brings out the best in everyone. The focus isn't on minimising mistakes, it's on helping people be the most effective versions of themselves, as that's what drives growth and improvement.'
Over 100 organisations and around 30,000 employees have benefited from Steel's process to date, although their new digital platform will enable Vantaset to scale globally. The firm has assisted both public and private sector clients across New Zealand and Australia for over a decade but plans to expand into other Five Eyes nations in the years ahead.
'We've chosen to focus on the Five Eyes nations because we recognise that when it comes to working with defence forces and critical government agencies, trust and national security considerations are paramount.
'If we were to work with non-aligned or competing jurisdictions, it could close doors to the agencies in the nations we're best positioned to support. This strategic alignment should ensure our eligibility to work with the most sensitive public sector environments, where human performance is most vital.'
Vantaset is also engaging with international consulting firms to act as distribution partners to accelerate its global expansion, given its applicability to Government agencies and the private sector.
[1] Internatonal consulting group McKinsey and Co's Centre for Government focuses on helping the public sector tackle complex challenges, modernise organisations and improve services. This group identified NZ Police's change process as "one of the most successful Government sector transformations in history".