Board refuses tour meeting

Press, 31 May 1985, Page 4

Board refuses tour meeting

The board of Trusteebank Canterbury has declined a request for a special meeting with the anti-South African tour group, Coalition against the Tour, over the bank’s sponsorship of rugby. The general manager of the bank, Mr Frank Dickson, said yesterday that it was board policy not to accept deputations and it was not prepared to convene a special meeting to change that policy or to meet the coalition. The bank last month tried to distance itself from rugby by cancelling rugbyrelated advertising, not allowing its name to be used in association with rugby, and removing its signs from various rugby grounds. It has said, however, that it cannot legally cancel a five-year sponsorship contract it signed last year with the Canterbury Rugby Union. The Coalition against the Tour is dissatisfied with that stand and this week met Mr Dickson to seek a meeting with the bank’s board of governors. Announcing the board’s decision to decline the

meeting, Mr Dickson said yesterday that advertising was a management rather than a board responsibility and that he had already met the coalition twice, apparently without satisfying it that the information he gave was factual. “It is board policy not to accept deputations,” Mr Dickson said. The coalition had not been prepared to wait until the board’s next meeting on June 24 to see whether the board would change that policy and had asked this week that a special meeting be called. “In the event, support has not been forthcoming from trustees either for a special meeting to change policy on meeting deputations or to meet the coalition,” Mr Dickson said. “The stand the bank has taken in dissociating itself from rugby because of the tour issue is in line with its policy to remain neutral on questions of politics, religion, and morals. "The board believes that the bank has adopted a balanced approach which is favoured by the majority of its depositors.”