Posts Tagged ‘Rugby’
Maori rugby team is racism?
The South African Rugby Union has said a rule that forbids South African rugby players to play against teams that have been "selected along racial lines" could stop the Maori side from touring. ( via New Zealand Herald)
This is bit funny because just little less than 30 years ago it was NZers who bravely raised against racism, or apartheid in South Africa, now the tide is turning?
I'm not a big rugby fan but it is my understanding that NZ Maori is a long kept tradition, existed for more than a century, prior to the Aparthid era. I even remember I have once read a news archive from a South Africa newspaper, dated somewhere around 1920s, disgusted of New Zealanders‘ behaviour because Kiwis cheered NZ Maoris' victory against their own "white brothers and sisters".
But I think NZ made a good argument in this case, Maori team is acting as an "ambassador" for Maori culture, not an discriminate act designed to divide cultures and races.
Eden Stadium funding
John Banks seems to be bit too excited about his re-election to Auckland's mayoralty. In the news today, he said that he would pull out ratepayers' fund from Mt Eden Statdium upgrade.
We don't live in a world where things just happens without cash, so who should pay for the 2011 World Cup?
I'm bit left, but I also like right wing sometimes: they do things on common sense, not "social values" . My version of common sense is that, people and groups who will benefit from the stadium upgrade should pay. Based on that, here is the list of people and groups that I think should pay, from the biggest payer to smallest.
Central Government -Rugby world cup and Mt Eden statdium are the issues of national importance. The cup will bring benefit to the whole country, and central government should come up with the largest share of funding to represent the benefit that it will receive (increased tax, tourism...)
NZRU - no explanation needed.
Businesses in Auckland - clearly, some businesses will benefit from the cup.
and, lastly, I cannot see any benefit that an average Aucklander can get from this. An increased wage? Possibly, but that also means more taxes paid. In fact, people are more likely to get annoyed by increased amount of car and pedestrian traffic.
If interests of people are harmed by an activity or a building upgrade, what is the proper way to compansate those people? You pay them.
That concludes my opinion.
