''I actually get that question a lot,'' the 23 year old said when asked if people confused him with Wayne Barnes, the referee many still blame for the All Blacks' early exit for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
The similarities end with the surname and first initial, but that is enough for some.
Barnes moved to Dunedin two weeks ago to take up his Otago contract and has shifted into a place in Leith Valley.
He is still sorting out furniture and rather hopes his friend, promising batsman Josh Tasman Jones, will find room in his car for a television when he drives down from Auckland soon.
The pair will flat together and play for Taieri in the club competition.
Barnes, who studied fine arts until cricket took over, is looking forward to having a bowl and hoping to put the disappointments of last summer behind him. He was contracted to Auckland but an unfortunate run of injuries conspired against him and he is still uncapped.
''It was a hard road last season,'' he said.
''I had four back to back injuries. For a start, I got contracted with a groin injury which they knew about.
''That got sorted but then I got a bone stress on my left foot when I was getting back into running. Then I got a back injury - a disk bulge.
''And then I fell down the stairs at the end of the season and completely tore off one of my ligaments on my left foot. It was an interesting season.''
He is fit now but given how poorly last season went, Barnes had been tossing around a few ideas when he was shoulder tapped by Otago.
''I was not really thinking of moving to be honest.
''I was just trying to find a plan B and plan C. I did not want to have just one plan because I had a bad season - I did not get a single game - and I didn't really know where my place was.''
He came down to Dunedin for a day about two months ago, liked what he saw and was convinced to sign up for the season.
Barnes is a good height at 1.9m and the word is the right armer is capable of nudging 140kmh, which is brisk.
''I've never been clocked, so I have no idea what sort of pace I'm bowling.
''Not fast enough at the moment is probably all I can say.''
The South African born player moved to New Zealand with his family when he was 2 years old. He considers himself a fully fledged New Zealander, though, just one with South African parents.
He cannot speak Afrikaans but can follow the general thread of a conversation and knows the naughty words.
''They were taught to me by my mum,'' he said, laughing.
His goals this summer are fairly modest.
''I just want to get on the park, get my debut out of the way and get a few games under my belt.
''I just want to get fitter and stronger, really. That is pretty much all I can hope for at the moment.''
That and a few wickets. Otago opens its first class campaign against Central Districts on October 15. Club cricket starts on Saturday.
