Will the NZ Government be a party-pooper?

New Zealand's Sports Minister Chris Bishop is no doubt wallowing in the success of Kiwis in the Paris Olympics.

But will he have to spoil the party and give everyone a hangover by delivering cuts to high-performance sports, as many other Ministers have had to do?

It would be a heartless Government that pricked the balloon of success that has emerged in Paris.

At a time of high interest rates, rising unemployment, and an economy barely above contraction, sport has again shown that it can, for a moment or two, lift the national mood in a way that little else can.

New Zealand's sporting success demands that no ground be conceded in the ever-improving quest for excellence and staying a step or two ahead of rival nations. Governments must recognise that.

The medal-winning efforts in Paris have been brilliant. The quality of effort across the team has been at a higher level, with top placings beyond the medal winners, which is also impressive.

To back up the record haul of 20 medals in Tokyo three years ago is a feat in itself. Remember that it was seven golds, six silvers and seven bronze.

This time, heading into the final two days of competition, there are already six golds, seven silvers, and two bronzes.

That suggests something is very much correct with New Zealand's high-performance system, which has only sometimes been the case.

Add in the canoe slalom surprise with Finn Butcher's success, put it alongside the gold medals New Zealand is now regularly picking up in Winter Olympics disciplines, and it is clear the competitiveness that defines the country's best sports performers is still strong.

It is apparent that the Summer Olympics disciplines of rowing, kayaking, cycling, yachting, and Sevens rugby have the right mix. Athletics has also lifted its efforts, especially in field events where New Zealand hasn't always been a force.

The efforts of kayak supremo Dame Lisa Carrington defy belief. Her consistency, power and tactical drive are magnificent, and she has set a standard for all Kiwi sportspeople who will stand for aeons. Even before she goes to the final of the K1 500 against her compatriot Aimee Fisher, her legacy will outlive her by far.

New Zealand cannot go back. Doing so would only waste the effort that has allowed the nation to claim consistency in its international measure of sporting success.

That New Zealand should sit 12th on the medal table is impressive enough.

But when applied to medals per capita, as of the start of play on Saturday, New Zealand (pop. 5,213,944 ) is fourth behind Dominica (66,172), Saint Lucia (179,744), and Bahrain (1,607,409). Each of these countries has won a gold medal, and Saint Lucia and Bahrain also have a silver medal each.

To put that in perspective, Australia (26,713,205) is seventh, France (66,548,530) is 19th, Britain (69,138,193) is 20th, Germany (84,552,242) is 29th, Japan (123,753,041) is 31st, the United States (345, 426,571) is 35th, China 1,419,321,278) is 49th and India (1,450,935,791) is 73rd.

That's something to skite about when there's little else around the meeting table at world summits.