Paid leave ruling ‘a lot of hooey’: Mr Couch

Press, 13 October 1982, Page 44

Paid leave ruling ‘a lot of hooey’: Mr Couch

PA Wellington The Minister of Maori Affairs. Mr Ben Couch, believes it would be a “kind of discrimination" if Governmentemploved members of the Maori’All Black side to tour Wales this month were not given paid leave. And he said in Christchurch yesterday that he would be “asking a few questions” to try and reverse the ruling by the States Services Commission. The Minister, himself a former Maori All Black and All Black, said that the commission’s ruling that team members did not qualify for the leave because the team was racially selected was “a lot of hooey."

"There seems to be discrimination there. It doesn’t seem right to me." he said.

The ruling means that the Maori All Blacks. Bruce Henara, Paul Quinn. Paul Blake, Eddie Dunn. Tu Wyllie and Kawhena Woo’dman, will all have to take annual or unpaid leave from their Government jobs if they want to tour.

But a director of the State Services Commission industrial relations department, Mr Miles Middlemass, said yesterday morning that no exception would be made for the side, despite its special place in New Zealand sport. He'said that the Govern ment had reviewed its policy

on special leave earlier this year, and while some changes were made, the commission's rules that a team must be selected on a national basis and be nationally representative were unchanged. “If we agreed to make a special case for the Maori All Blacks, where do we draw the line?” said Mr Middlemass.

“We have to draw the line somewhere and the people who are close to the line feel hard done by." The commission’s stand on sport and cultural tours also excludes members of a New Zealand chess team due to travel overseas soon.

But the chess players miss out on the special paid leave

because chess does not fit into the commission's criteria for either sport or cultural activities, and its exclusion follows similar rulings in the past. But Mr Middlemass, said that the chess players, members of the Maori All Blacks and Government employees involved in other activities which did not qualify for the special four weeks paid leave could, still take annual holidays or unpaid leave, if their departments could spare them. The main exception to this was where the team members were to play against South Africa, when they would not be able to take any leave whatever — paid or otherwise.

"This only applies where the Government has a sporting policy — in this case the Gleneagles Agreement.” said Mr Middlemass.

“As the State employer we shouldn’t be seen to be giving paid leave for tours that are against Government policy,” said Mr Middlemass.

Paul Quinn, who is on the staff of the Maori Affairs Department, said there were substantial arguments for granting special leaVe with pay to public servants who were members of the team.

He said that the question boiled down to eligibility for selection.

Quinn said that in the past Maoris were not eligible for selection in All Black teams touring South Africa, yet

those teams were regarded as nationally representative. Two Northland Maori All Blacks, Eddie Dunn and Kawhena Woodman, both civil servants, were philosphical about not receiving paid leave while away. Dunn, who has had 10 overseas trips with Northland, New Zealand Maori and All Black teams, said that the tour to Wales was a trip of a lifetime, while Woodman, a Post Office technician, was only too happy just to make the team. “I’m really looking forward to it. I have already used up annual leave with North Auckland. It’s just one of those things." said Woodman from his Kaikohe home today.

The coach of the Maori All Blacks. Mr Percy Erceg. is disappointed with the State Services Commission stand. "If they say the team is racially selected, well what are they going to do about the Maori Affairs Department?” he said in Whangarei yesterday. “Goodness, we’re a New Zealand team.” “We have been waiting 56 years to tour the United Kingdom and then this type of thine haooens. “I’m sure the team will be great ambassadors for this country. For them, it's a trip of a lifetime and doubtless it is too late to do anything

about paid leave for the civil servants in the team." Mr Erceg. an insurance company manager, said that everyone had made great sacrifices to be available for the tour and they were all gearing up for the tough games ahead. Meanwhile, a Race Relations Conciliator’s office spokeswoman said that the Maori All Blacks had a special place in New Zealand life and the majority identified and felt a strong sense of pride in the team. She said if the rules excluded the team, than those rules should be changed.