Fears Pacific voice will continue to be benched in NZR vote

“We can see ourselves on the field, but we can’t see ourselves in governance and decision making. And why not?”

That is the question from Tauanu’u Nick Bakulich, New Zealand Rugby’s Pasifika Advisory board co-chair.

This afternoon, New Zealand Rugby board members will vote on two proposals on the country’s future structure for rugby leadership, following years of upheaval and a damning report saying the current format was ‘not fit for purpose in the modern era’.

Tauanu’u says Pacific contribution to the sport is “huge” across all the Black jersey codes through to Super Rugby, NPC and club rugby, and this should be recognised in leadership positions and governance.

“We would like to be in certain places because we can offer advice, cultural expertise, anything that’s gonna make New Zealand rugby world-leading, and without us there, we could have an organisation that perhaps may not be connecting well with one of its biggest demographics.”

Pasifika Advisory Group co-chair Pauline-Jean Luyten agrees.

“At the moment we have nothing in the constitution that says ‘Pasifika’, so what we are looking at is making sure that our voices are heard and Pasifika will be entrenched in the rules.”

Luyten said they were pleased to be approached by the Provincial Unions for their input on proposal two.

“They had really open, frank talanoa with us to see if there were common values around community, the love and passion for the game.

“That was really demonstrated when they basically enabled us to write the clauses for Pasifika within that document, which is huge.”

In November, New Zealand Rugby launched their Pasifika Strategy and said they were “committed to seeing culturally diverse voices at all levels of this governance model”.

But in March, Tongan community leader Pakilau Manase Lua resigned from the Pasifika Advisory Group in frustration, accusing NZR of treating them “like mindless monkeys”, saying the strategy was for “show” and wasn’t genuine.

“I think they use us when they need us. It’s good PR for them to feel like they’re forward thinking, being helpful, look like they’re pro-Pasifika, like they have our best interests at heart.”

Luyten served as an emerging director on the New Zealand Rugby board until the end of last year, and experienced some of the shortfalls of the current operation.

‘The aspect that I think was probably quite difficult was that as an emerging director and a Tongan and Pasifika woman, I didn't have voting rights, so there could be parts in there that you could influence what you want to influence or conversations happening, that I wouldn't necessarily have the strong ability to actually be valued in that sense with a voting right around the table.”

Watch the full interview with NZR Pasifika Advisory Group co-chairs Tauanu'u Nick Bakulich and Pauline-Jean Luyten on Pacific Days: