Tonks, who has coached crews to total of six Olympic medals, including five gold, recently began working with a Chinese men's pair on Lake Karapiro, 30 kilometres south-east of the city of Hamilton and is the same training base used by New Zealand crews.

"I'm training two crews from the Shanghai province in my spare time aiming for the China National Games in 2017 which are more important for them than the Olympics," Tonks told the New Zealand Herald.

"It's nothing that hasn't been done in the past.

"[Overseas] crews have trained here before.

"I've had different Chinese provinces chasing me over the years.

"I went over there to make a speech this year and some of them asked if they could come to New Zealand for a training camp.

"I've also helped American lightweight double sculls which tried to qualify [in 2012] and Michelle Guerette who went on to an Olympic silver [at Beijing]."

Asked whether there had been any fallout with Rowing New Zealand, Tonks replied: "We're finished.

"I'm finished with New Zealand rowing."

Simon Peterson, chief executive of Rowing New Zealand, claimed the Chinese men’s pair were more than provincial rowers, having competed at the 2014 and 2015 World Rowing Championships.

"We were caught a bit surprised by the Chinese crews appearing under Dick's tutelage a couple of weeks ago," Peterson told Radio Sport.

"It's a bit different having other athletes come and visit for a short period of time, maybe be a training partner on the water, and have it all structured and framed up.

"When the Chinese crews arrived unannounced just in front of our eyes on Lake Karapiro, that's quite a different scenario.

"We were blindsided."

Rowing New Zealand remains in discussions with Tonks, who has also coached crews to a total of 25 World Championships medals, including 13 gold, via a third party and hopes he could still coach his athletes through to Rio 2016.

"Our best outcome is the best outcome for the athletes, and they've said they want to be coached by Dick through to Rio and we're doing our best to achieve that," added Peterson.

The 64-year-old Tonks, an Olympic silver medallist in the coxless four at Munich 1972, is currently working with Mahé Drysdale, gold medallist in the single sculls at London 2012, and world champion double scullers Eve Macfarlane and Zoe Stevenson ahead of Rio 2016.

Drysdale, 37, is hoping his preparations for next year's Olympics are not affected and hopes things work out for the best with Tonks, voted Coach of the Year five times at the Halberg Awards, New Zealand's most prestigious sports prize ceremony. 

"It's probably one of the best years of my career, I had one poor race and unfortunately that was the World Champs final," said Drysdale.

"I didn't get the result I wanted there, but big picture things are very well on track.

"I don't know what's between them - from my perspective my preference is that Dick takes me through to the Olympics."

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