Looks like they picked over a 2011 post and article of mine for their idea....
http://www.therugbyforum.com/thread...Celtic-nations?p=422337&viewfull=1#post422337
...and added some data of their own. Its good to see that some NZ Herald sports-jocks are finally doing some actual research before publishing stuff!
I recently rewrote my post article for another forum which was an expansion of my post, going more into what the Herald calls
"the third Wave of New Zealand immigration"
[TEXTAREA]
DEBUNKING THE POACHING MYTH
There is a perception in Europe, particularly in Britain, that New Zealand “talent strips†the Pacific Islands of rugby players, stocking their own competitions for the benefit of their own teams, and that the All Blacks are overflowing with this stolen talent. This is a complete falsehood, perpetrated mostly by the English Media (a bit rich coming from them, given the number of South Africans, Rhodesians and West Indians that have played cricket for England over the last 40 years).
The perpetration of this myth is fuelled mostly by four pieces of fundamental ignorance.
Myth 1: New Zealand is a country of European descendency so the players should be white.
This is shows a complete ignorance of New Zealand's demographics. With the relatively recent influx into Britain of peoples of Caribbean descendency, and Middle and Far Eastern ethnicity, and the more recent immigration of Eastern Europeans from the old Iron Curtain countries, Britain is just beginning to experience something that has been going on in New Zealand for decades; immigration. We are now seeing fourth and fifth generation of people of Fijian, Samoan and Tongan ethnicity living in New Zealand. The Pacific Island way of life (known as “Pasifikaâ€) has had a significant influence on New Zealand culture and history, not only in sport, but in everyday life. There are ethnic Samoan, Tongan and Fijian members of Parliament. There are famous authors, writers & journalists, television personalities, actors, artists, musicians, City, District and Regional Councillors, Judges of the District Court, High Court and Supreme Court, Justices of the Peace, high-ranking members of the Police and Armed Forces and other high-profile members of our society who trace their ancestors back to Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and so on.
There are actually more Samoans living in New Zealand that there are living in Samoa, with Auckland having the largest urban Polynesian population in the world, a fact that cannot escape anyone who has ever been there. Like it or not, peoples of Pacific Island ethnicity are every bit as much a part of everyday society in New Zealand, as those races from the Indian sub-continent and the West Indies are a part of English society, a fact that is clearly reflected in the make-up of both the New Zealand rugby teams and the English cricket team.
Myth 2: A brown-skinned man in an All Black jersey must be a poached Pacific Islander.
People who are not familiar with "Pacific Islander" names generally have no real idea on which Pacific Island they originate, but for those who know them and work with them, its relatively simple to tell the difference between Tongans, Samoan and Fijian names, without knowing anything else about them or even seeing him. Many of those who don’t live in or who are not from this region, hear a “Pasifika-sounding†name announced in an All Blacks squad and immediately jump to the conclusion that it is a poached player from the islands.
I often hear accusations that the All Blacks poached Piri Weepu from the Pacific Islands, when in fact, not only was he born in New Zealand, he is a Maori; a native of this country and not a Pacific Islander at all.
Myth 3: New Zealand Rugby Benefits Hugely from Talent Stripping the Pacific Islands
Makes a great headline for those prone to a bit of Kiwi-bashing. Unfortunately for them it is simply not true; in fact, the opposite situation is the reality. The rugby bodies from other countries benefit far more from New Zealand Rugby than ours do from them. The New Zealand rugby system supplies more local born players to other countries’ national teams than any other country in the world, Thirty eight players at the last RWC were born in New Zealand and played for other countries. That’s the same number that Australia (13) South Africa (13) Argentina (6) and England (6) together, had playing for other countries. At the last RWC, the following countries had players born in other counties in their squads*
15: Samoa*
12: USA
11: Italy
10: Japan
9: Tonga
8: England
7: Australia, Scotland
5: Canada, Fiji, Namibia, Wales
4: Ireland, New Zealand
2: France, Russia
1: South Africa
*Of special note is that all 15 imported Samoan players at the 2011 RWC were born in New Zealand, raised in New Zealand, educated from primary age, through secondary school (and in some cases, right through to tertiary level) in New Zealand, and came through the New Zealand rugby system via age-grades and national representative competitions.
Additionally, it isn’t just players that New Zealand supplies the world either; it also provides coaches. At the last RWC, six out of the twenty head coaches were New Zealanders; Kieran Crowley (Canada), John Kirwan (Japan), Robbie Deans (Australia), Warren Gatland (Wales) and Graham Henry (New Zealand). Three of the four semi finalists had Kiwi head coaches.
Myth 4: New Zealand coerces Pacific Island children away from their parents by offering scholarships.
Perpetrators of this particular piece of ignorance then go on to allege that this program is part of NZRU policy and is designed to target rugby players as prospects for the All Blacks. In fact, the New Zealand Government pays schools to offer these scholarships because it is a member state of the PIF (Pacific Islands Forum) and as such, has foreign aid obligations that extend beyond its shores to its neighbours. This also extends to its neighbour organisation, ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations). New Zealand contributes about NZ$550m annually in foreign aid (a lot for a country of 4½ million people). The greatest proportion of this aid goes into the PIC and ASEAN regions. In addition to this, on the basis of the old saying
“if you give a man a fish and he’ll feed his family for a day; if you teach a man to fish he’ll feed his family for a lifetime†the NZ scholarship programs bring students to New Zealand for higher education so that they can return for the long term benefit of their communities. Between 1500 and 2500 scholarships are awarded to foreign students in NZ every year, giving the students an opportunity at higher education that they would not necessarily be able to get in their home countries. Students come from a wide variety of countries including both PIC and ASEAN member states; Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, PR China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, FS Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu and Viet Nam.
Over the last 20 years there have been over 40,000 foreign students who have come to this country and received secondary and tertiary education opportunities at the NZ Government's expense; a cost of a few hundred million $NZ. Many of them have gone on to become doctors, dentists, civil engineers, town planners, surgeons, teachers, scientists etc, have returned to their own countries and done a power of good in their communities. Yes, a few have stayed on in New Zealand, but the number who do so are minimal.
So, let's see how all this applies to the All Blacks, and how the myths simply do not stand up to scrutiny when confronted with hard, verifiable and indisputable facts.
The Real Facts
Unlike supposed journalists, I am dealing in real facts, not the unfounded insinuations and innuendo that they perpetrate. They don’t want to tell you the facts, because those facts are sure to get in the way of their story.
In more than one hundred and twenty five years of New Zealand Rugby there are in fact only five All Blacks who came to New Zealand from the Pacific Islands to undertake School, College or University Scholarships. They are:
Casey Laulala â€" Samoa (Wesley College, Auckland)
Sitiveni Sivivatu â€" Fiji (Wesley College, Auckland)
Sosene Anisi - Samoa (St Pauls High School, Hamilton)
Chris Masoe - Samoa (Wanganui College)
Malakai Fekitoa â€" Tonga (Wesley College, Auckland)
That is five out of 40,000 at a cost of about a NZ$100 million per All Black. If it is a scheme to coerce kids away from their parents as some would have us all believe, it is a singularly unsuccessful and hugely expensive one. A few hundred million invested at grass roots would surely have produced a lot more than five players!!
Of all the All Blacks that have ever been selected in their entire history (1133 at time of writing) only 32 were born in the Pacific Islands. Furthermore,
only four did not go to school in NZ. They are:
Alama Ieremia
John Schuster
Joeli Vidiri
Saimone Taumoepeau
Here is the full list of 32; specifying when they were first selected for the All Blacks, their school (since the 1970s and where known) and the age (where known) that they came to NZ.
American Samoa
Jerome Kaino Came to NZ when he was 6 years old and attended St Kentigan's, Auckland
Frank Solomon 1931/32
Fiji
Bernie Fraser 1979. Grew up in NZ and went to Marist School in Auckland
Arthur Jennings 1967.
Tabai Matson 1995. Grew up in NZ and went to Christ's College, Christchurch
Joe Rokocoko 2003. Came to NZ as a 5 year old and went to St Kentigan's, Auckland
Sitiveni Sivivatu 2005. Came to NZ at 15 and went to Wesley College, Auckland
David Solomon 1935.
Joeli Vidiri 1998. Came to NZ as adult
Ron Williams 1988. Grew up in NZ and went to Westlake Boys, Auckland
Manu Samoa
Sosene Anesi 2005. Came to NZ on Scholarship to St Pauls, Hamilton
Olo Brown 1990. Came to NZ as child and went to Mt Albert Grammar, Auckland from 1981-85
Eroni Clarke 1992. Came to NZ at an early age and went to Henderson High School, Auckland
Jerry Collins 2000. Came to NZ as a 4 year old and attended St Pat's College, Wellington
Alama Ieremia 1994. Came to NZ as an adult to attend Victoria University, Wellington
Casey Laulala 2004. Came to NZ on scholarship to Wesley College, Auckland
Chris Masoe 2005. Came to NZ on scholarship to Wanganui College
Mils Muliaina 2003. Came to live in Invercargill as a 2 year old
Jonny Schuster 1987. Came to NZ after secondary school
John Schwalger 2007. Came to NZ as a child and attended Bishop Viard College. he was head boy.
Rodney So'oialo 2002 Came to NZ as a 6 year old and attended Mana College, Wton
Isaia Toeava 2005. Came to NZ as a 7 year old and attended De La Salle College, Auckland
Va’aiga Tuigamala 1989. Came to NZ when he was 4 years old attended Kelston Boys, Auckland
Tonga
Pita Alatini 1999. Came to NZ as a child and attended Kings College, Dunedin
Walter Batty 1928.
Sione Lauaki 2005. Came to NZ aged 7 and attended Kelston Boys, Auckland
Isitolo Maka 1998. Raised in Auckland and had attended Sacred Heart College, Auckland
Charles Riechelman 1997. Part Tongan but grew up in NZ and went to Auckland Grammar
Saimone Taumoepeau 2004. Came to NZ after leaving school at 15
Kupu Vanisi 1990. Came to NZ as a child, grew up in Dunedin and attended Kings High School
Frank Halai 2013. Came to NZ with his family as a child and went to Wesley College. Aickland.
Malakai Fekitoa. 2014 Came to NZ at 17 and went to Wesley College, Auckland
So that is 32 out of 1133…2.8%. That’s hardly a stampede of poached players, is it?.
You might notice a couple of names missing from this list, famous ones who, even to this day, the NZRU are constantly accused of having poached from the Islands..... Jonah Lomu and Keven Mealamu.. in fact they were both born in New Zealand.
In Conclusion
The poaching myth is just that, a myth, a falsehood and an outright lie, perpetrated by second rate so-called journalists who spend too much time interviewing their own laptops, and not enough time fact-checking or talking to real people. They appear to get most of their information from the University of Google.
Most of them have never had the courage to wander outside their privileged, white, middle-class comfort zones. It appears to be mostly English journalists who believe this myth, and perpetrate it...
Because they live in a country where they see people who were born there, and who have lived there all their lives, still calling Pakistan "home".
Because they accept it as normal for someone to call themselves an "Afro-Caribbean" or a "French-Ghanaian"
Because they see "brown" people with heavy "English" accents who have clearly lived there for a very long time, waving Indian flags at an England v India cricket match.
Because they see New Zealand as a “white†country; conveniently ignoring the fact that native New Zealanders were in fact Maori, not European.
I guess it is hardly surprising that they don't get it when a "brown" person who was born and/or grew up in New Zealand, sees himself as a New Zealander, has a national pride for New Zealand and a passion to play for his country. They find this strange and they become suspicious.
Sources
The New Zealand Rugby Almanac (various years)
Men in Black: The First 500 tests - Ron Palenski, Neville McMillan and Rod Chester
All Blacks: The Authorised Portrait : editor; Ron Palenski
Beneath the Maori Moon: An Illustrated History of Maori Rugby â€" Malcolm Mulholland
All Blacks to All Golds â€" John Haynes
All Black Magic: 100 Years of NZ Rugby - Bob Howitt
New Zealand Rugby Legends - Sir Terrence McLean
Red Dragons of Rugby: Welsh-All Black Encounters From 1905-1969 - Sir TP McLean
Rugby Nomads â€" Bob Howitt
All Blacks Come Back: Terry McLean Looks at New Zealand and World Rugby
Statistics NZ
educationcounts.govt.nz
UNICEF
Un.org
Forumsec.org
Thanks also to David Mair from Statistics NZ for pointing me in all the right directions, and Paul Brewerton for use of his extensive library of books on NZ rugby.[/TEXTAREA]
