12 Aug 2021

Louisa Wall on Hurricanes' minority owner's comments

From Morning Report, 7:40 am on 12 August 2021

The All Blacks halfback, TJ Perenara, says the mental, emotional and cultural safety of players cannot be maintained in the wake of comments from Hurricanes minority owner, Troy Bowker.

Replying to a post by Sir Ian Taylor on Linkedin, which said New Zealand excelled on the water at the Olympics due to "our ancestral DNA" and features an image of a waka, Bowker said Sir Ian was "sucking up to the left Māori loving agenda".

He also asked Sir Ian, "What percentage Māori are you?"

TJ Perenara used social media to speak out about Bowker's comments, saying they were said with "underlying racism", and are "insulting".

Former Black Ferns and Silver Ferns player and current Labour MP Louisa Wall spoke to Susie Ferguson.