A bit random
Paddy LewisReasons why Wellington (gosh darn it, reasons why all of New Zealand) is better than Auckland came to the fore yet again at the weekend thanks to the Rugby World Cup.
Multi-millionaire Colin Giltrap thought it would be nice to put a sign up in his car dealership which read “Go the All Blacks” in giant white lettering on a black window. NZRU representatives arrived and told his staff it needed to be altered or removed because it was in breach of trade mark regulations.
Everywhere else in New Zealand has had great media coverage. Auckland has been ‘pants around ankles’ since the kick off.
I rang the Ministry of Economic Development and the NZRU and said could I paint “Allez Les Bleus” on my French café window near Eden Park (note: I do not own a French café near Eden Park, this was purely made up for research purposes). Both said yes, absolutely. Had Giltrap put “Go The ABs” in his window, he would have been fine.
New Zealand. The place where discretion is a dirty word.
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I was intrigued by this line from a newspaper story following the takeover of the Wellington Phoenix: “Mr Greenham said he supported the idea floated by Welnix member Gareth Morgan, of allowing supporters to buy into the club ownership - but only when it was a profitable business.”
I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few years looking at the viability of professional or semi-pro teams in Godzone, mainly based around the chance that one day Super 15 franchises may be released from the NZRU monopoly and be up for grabs to the highest bidder.
Now while the Welnix consortium may be very well-funded and have the club’s best interests at heart, I would respectfully suggest this is a black hole for money – just like most of the Super 15 franchises. Pro sports teams in New Zealand are funded for love or as an ego trip – not as a money-making exercise.
The Phoenix may become a profitable business. On paper. Not in moolah.
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I know a bloke called Shaun Johnson – two, in fact. I also know a bloke called Kevin Locke. They aren’t household names in the way Richie McCaw or Dan Carter is. There’s no reason why they should be. One is a banker, one’s a plumber, and the other is a part-time farmer. There are a couple of other blokes called Shaun Johnson and Kevin Locke whose names might be more well-known after the Warriors’ massive performance against those dirty cheating Melbourne Storm blokes to make the NRL grand final. At 21 and 22 years old respectively, the two Warriors showed a maturity and skill most players would sell their soul for. They’ve beaten the Wests Tigers and the all-conquering Storm. Now they just have to beat Manly, coached by one of my boyhood heroes, Des Hasler. At least he was a boyhood hero until the Warriors deservedly made the final. Go the Warriors!
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So the Trans Tasman netball league is allowing the Canterbury Tactix another international player (which no other team gets) because they’ve been affected by the earthquakes. This league makes more of a joke of itself every time it makes a decision. What the Tactix need is not a breaking of the rules that puts other teams at a disadvantage. It’s like the RWC organizers telling the All Blacks to give Mils Muliania to Namibia because they feel sorry for them. A stupid and erroneous decision.









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