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Opposing parties in an employment case that could have major implications for the New Zealand sports system have asked the Employment Relations Authority to suspend its decision.
Athletes from two of the country's most successful Olympic sports launched landmark employment proceedings against High Performance Sport NZ and the case was heard by the ERA in February.
The Athletes' Cooperative, a union of 60 elite rowers and cyclists chaired by rowing great Mahe Drysdale, want better rights for athletes, improved wellbeing and financial stability.
The group is seeking to initiate collective bargaining with HPSNZ to negotiate an employment agreement. Currently athletes are contracted to their relevant national sporting organisations, not HPSNZ.
HPSNZ has maintained the union members cannot enter collective bargaining as they do not have an employment relationship with the organisation.
The deadline for an ERA decision was next month.
"Following the hearing at the Employment Relations Authority in Wellington on February 9, The Athletes' Cooperative (TAC) and High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) agreed to meet to see if matters relating to the hearing can be resolved independently. These conversations are ongoing.
"Both parties have requested that the ERA suspend its determination on this case until further notice," HPSNZ's director of high performance, Steve Tew, said.
Prior to the ERA hearing Drysdale said The Athletes' Collective felt athletes should have a say in how government funding given to HPSNZ was spent.
HPSNZ formed an Athletes Leaders Network in November 2022 to provide a voice for athletes, but Drysdale felt the athletes' voice needed to be independent.
"Our members felt that (the Athletes Leaders Network) is not what they wanted to be represented by so we're now taking our own route.
"Without independence you can't actually achieve what you want because you're always hamstrung if you're reliant on the funding from the government.
"If you're against what they want you're always liable of having that funding cut."
While HPSNZ provided funding to get the Athlete Leaders' Network operational, it said it would be independent and they would have no say in how it was run.
HPSNZ said it was entirely run and operated by the athletes.