Ani O'Brien: NZ Govt instructs Sport NZ to ditch trans guidelines for community sport

What does this mean for women and for trans people?

This morning CEO of Sport New Zealand Raelene Castle released a statement that read like it had been issued with a gun to her head. In the restrained and deliberate language it is apparent rage simmers under the surface. The long battle the Crown agency has waged on this issue is all the more incredible considering that what the New Zealand Government has done is something that should be so unremarkable, so common sense.

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Super Rugby cannot afford to lose more money

Just listening to the commentary on the women’s 'redneck' haka in the last day, I don't think people quite understand what this debate is really about.

This isn’t a debate about whether politicians just need to suck the criticism up, it isn’t about whether haka are supposed to be challenging.

This is a debate about money. Super Rugby is financially stuffed, and even more so the women’s side of it.

Ken Maclaren: Sport New Zealand’s Transgender Policy - Inclusion Over Fairness and Safety

What a depressing read and document Sport New Zealand’s ‘Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport’ is.  

Underwritten by their proposed 'overarching principle' that ‘Every New Zealander has the right to participate in Sport and to be treated with respect, empathy and positive regard. Transgender people can take part in sports in the gender they identify with.’

I have no real issue with the first line, other than every participant also has the obligation to treat sport with respect, empathy and positive regard. By trying to ‘muscling in’ on categories to which they don’t and can’t belong too, trans women (men pretending to be women) treat every other participant, coach, volunteer and sport itself disrespectfully, with no empathy and with negative regard.