Bill Sweetenham has been appointed interim head coach of Swimming New Zealand.

Sweetenham, a former Australian head coach and performance director for Great Britain - who also conducted an internal review of Swimming New Zealand in 2008, will begin the role on February 8.

His appointment follows the resignation of coaches Mark Regan and Scott Talbot.

"We are absolutely delighted that Bill has taken up the role with us," said Swimming New Zealand acting CEO, Mark O'Connor.

"It is an important time for our swimmers preparing for the upcoming New Zealand open championships which double as the trials for the world championships.

"It is important to have a coach who understands the swimmers, the country and what is ahead of them. 

"Bill is one of the most credentialed swimming coaches in the history of the sport and we are pleased he is stepping in to help us out."

In his time as Australian youth coach, Sweetenham played a role in the development of Australian greats Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett.

Sweetenham's resume also includes former director of coaching for Queensland, head swimming coach at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra and head swimming coach at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.

Meanwhile Swimming New Zealand has also advertised worldwide for a new high performance coach. 

- © Fairfax NZ News