John and Tusigaigoa Anapu --- Alexander.

12:21 p.m. Thursday, 14 August 2008

Kia Ora Willie, Hope your health is coming right, my wife had the same operation 18 months ago and is now much better for it, initially hard going but a steep pick - up curve after the first three months or so, good luck. Willie i caught last week's program with your replacement host and was interested to observe the discussion around S.B.W and the different perspectives taken on this issue by the host (female, Maori and attempting to stimulate discussion around a cultural view on the issue) and the panellists (all male, and Maori/Pacifica/English,) and intriguingly, all of one view in what could have been taken as a singularly pro - establishment (contract) and decidedly non sympathetic (to the cultural argument) way of looking at the issue. Under normal circumstances i would have expected this of the English sport journalist who would and should have that view having only been in New Zealand Aotearoa for 18 months but was very interested that both Dale Husband and Ken Laban also couldn't dismiss any suggestion that here was a young Polynesian man standing up for his principles quickly enough. Have we finally seen the day when some people are so indoctrinated into the "League Culture N.R.L style" that being seen to be in tune with that vey Europeanised Establishment/ "It's a Contract boy" way of looking at things takes precedence over the more holistic, Fanau sympathetic view that in almost all other circumstances they would be espousing? Willie i will let you know of my own provenance in observing as above, i am a New Zealander of Celtic descent who has been married to a Samoan lady for 30 years and we have raised our two Afakasi children in that intriguing and challenging environment that is the mixed race cross- cultural Fanau which is common to people like us. I have learned over the years that the way i looked at things in the period of my life prior to the last thirty years is far from the only way and usually diametrically opposite to the way the wider Fanau i have been part of sees things, and the issue of contracts such as signed by S.B.W is one of those areas (in fact anything involving 'Palagi paper" is not treated all that seriously if it involves wider issues of Mana and dignity!) I have to say both my wife and i were surprised by the stance taken by Dale and Ken (whose Mother is a cousin to my wife), i think some of these "league" guys are so bitter (Dale suggested an apology was due from the NZRFU for 100 years of something or other), that they are becoming caricatures in this area of the very Colonial types that used to be thick on the ground and who they would be the first to rail about in every other area. League is not so untouchable that an important issue that needed to be addressed was buried ---- the young lady chairing this discussion was poorly served and the cultural perspective on this deserves more than dismissal (if this had been a wholly Palagi panel there would have been wholly justifiable accussations of racism --- is it any less so because of the Fakapapa of the panellists? ) Just a thought or two, Kia Kaha Willie,

Barry Peek

12:52 p.m. Thursday, 14 August 2008

I find it rather surprising that Ms Hauiti invites guests to the show and talks over every reply they give to her questions. Why does she bother asking their opinions if she does not intend allowing them to answer? She contradicts herself by saying that athletes participating in sports at the Olympics are condoning the perceived civil rights abuses by the Chinese government. She then goes on to say that they should go there and be free to protest! Are they to go there and use the funding and sponsorships provided so that they can represent their country in their given sport? Or is she saying they must rather go there as protestors with their sport being only secondary to making a political statement? As soon as her British guest mentioned doing away with the racially selected Maori team she cut his reply short and moved on to speak to her new “buddy” Paul Quinn! How do Kiwis reconcile themselves with claiming to be so non-racist while selecting a national team based on the players being of a particular racial group? Maybe if they selected more Maori players into the All Blacks they wouldn’t need to steal all the decent players from the surrounding islands (Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, etc). Perhaps the ABs should be acknowledged as the Pacific Isles, as the British Lions are recognized as consisting of players From Greater Britain.

kelly

12:47 p.m. Sunday, 31 August 2008

the host was forever butting in and not letting the panelists finish their arugument. she kept cutting them off