Splat
Fair enough. However, hard checks is another piece of Kiwi aviation nonsense that will hopefully change one day. Everybody else (in the western world) has moved on from the idea that a hard check is a good measure of a pilots ability. It isn't. That is why, under JAR, the autopilot is used extensively in checks. We look for other stuff these days.
Even in a largely hand-flown environment, loading up a pilot on a check doesn't prove a thing, except that all pilots will lose it when enough pressure is applied.
We used to have a problem with ex-RAF types who took the "stress them until they crack" approach to checking. Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves hugely showing them how easily they could lose the plot. We never made that stuff part of the check, though, we saved it till "playtime" at the end of the sim detail.
Anyway good on your managers for doing the best they can with the resources they have.