Threat to withdraw Maoris from rugby

Press, 20 December 1978, Page 1

Threat to withdraw Maoris from rugby

PA Wellington The professor of Maori at Victoria University, Dr S. Mead, yesterday threatened to exert his influence to withdraw all Maori players from rugby if the proposed visit to South Africa by six New Zealand players was not called off. He said that if the New Zealand Rugby Union persisted with the visit, he would ensure that tribal committees and Maori trust boards throughout

New Zealand became involved. “We will ask the Maori people and Polynesians to withrdaw from rugby,” he said. “We will appeal to all Maori mothers to take away their husbands, sons, and brothers to make the rugby people do some thinking.” Meanwhile, the 1970 All Black captain in South Africa, Brian Lochore, said from his Wairarapa farm that he was interested in helping to manage the international composite team that might play in

South Africa next year. He confirmed that he had been asked unofficially to help manage the team by a New Zealander acting on behalf of the Northern Transvaal Rugby Union. In Christchurch the chairman of the Halt All Racist Tours Organisation (Mr Trevor Richards) invited prominent New Zea’ land sportsmen and representatives of sports bodies to a conference aimed at stopping the New Zealand visit to South Africa.

The conference is part of a campaign being launched against the proposed tour by H.A.R.T. The campaign involves thousands of H.A.R.T. supporters visiting, telephoning, and writing to their local members of Parliament. Mr Richards said that a comprehensive file of statements by the Government and other persons on the proposed tour would be sent to all Commonwealth governments, the United Nations, the Organisation for African Unity, the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa, and other unspecified “overseas contacts.”