Fears World Cup could alienate NZ's migrants
4:00AM Friday May 15, 2009
By Lincoln Tan
Research into whether the 2011 Rugby World Cup could isolate New Zealand's migrant communities is being urged by an academic adviser to the tournament.
But the suggestion has brought strong criticism from a Rugby Union board member.
Geoff Dickson, associate director of the Tourism Research Institute at the Auckland University of Technology, said New Zealand should find ways to minimise the World Cup's divisive potential.
He said the focal point for the country's successful bid - that the tournament would be played out before "a stadium of four million people" - was based on a "fairytale dream".
Dr Dickson, who will be on the soon-to-be-launched World Cup research advisory board, said a large number of "new" New Zealanders were from non-rugby backgrounds "who couldn't care less about the game" - in particular, the growing number from countries such as China, India and Korea.
Studies done during the last soccer World Cup in Germany showed that although the event gave rise to a sense of national pride among Germans, it also increased a sense of xenophobia.
Dr Dickson said the Rugby World Cup could affect New Zealand in a similar way.
"It is likely that the 'New Zealand equals rugby' message will become deafening by 2011, but the problem lies in that many new New Zealanders may struggle to get it or connect with rugby," he said.
"So, by extension, the event may actually serve to reinforce or highlight differences, rather than bring communities closer together."
Questions that Dr Dickson wants answered in the research include:
Will the Rugby World Cup act as a "wedge" that isolates New Zealand's migrant, refugee and ethnic communities even further by reinforcing differences between them and the dominant groups within New Zealand?
What programmes or initiatives should be developed to help these communities engage in the event whilst minimising its divisive potential?
"It is important the conversations between and amongst the New Zealand sporting community, migrant support and advocacy groups and the academic community begin sooner rather than later," Dr Dickson said, "so that initiatives might be developed to increase the likelihood that a wide variety of New Zealanders are able to enjoy what promises to be a very exciting event."
However, Ken Douglas, a New Zealand Rugby Union board member and deputy chairman of the Asia New Zealand Foundation, has slammed Dr Dickson's claim that rugby has a "divisive potential" as "plain bullshit".
Mr Douglas disagreed that most new immigrants were unfamiliar with rugby, saying that even China had sent a team from its People's Liberation Army to New Zealand a few years ago.
"Rugby is a world game that has been in Asia for many, many years, introduced by the British expatriate communities, and its popularity is also fuelled by the fact that it will likely be introduced as part of the Olympics within the next two Games."
Mr Douglas believed the Rugby World Cup would bring people together at various levels and foster a stronger New Zealand spirit, rather than isolate communities.
Massey University regional director Paul Spoonley, head of a major research project on the integration of immigrants, says his study covers their participation in sports in Auckland.
He will release his findings next month.
OK, so RUGBY, which is NZ's national game, who's team is known throughout the world, might cause a 'cultural wedge' between NZer's and 'new' NZer's?
Anyone who would be offended by this should have read a fucking article about NZ before they migrated! I'm sure it would have gone something like this:
New Zealand (Aotearoa to the Maori) is a country located in the South Pacific, approx 2000km south-east of the penal colony known as Australia.
New Zealand is famous for many things such as Edmund Hillary, Lord of the Rings, kiwi's, Maori's and rugby. Rugby is a brilliant sport and is passionately followed by every red-blooded NZer throughout the world. The NZ national team, the All Blacks, are fucking awesome even though they tend to fail at World Cup time.
If you don't like rugby, it's best to avoid NZ as anyone who doesn't like rugby will (probably) be viewed as some kind of Communist/Hippie/faggot.
Simple.
I moved to the UK a few years back, where football is arguably the biggest thing in the country.
I admit, I wasn't a massive 'soccer' fan before I moved to the UK, although I did know the rules and followed Chelsea a bit.
However, it's hard to escape football in the UK, so rather than whinge about it, I embraced it, and know rank football as my 2nd favourite sport (after rugby, and ahead of cricket).
Not all people in the UK follow football, and it's fine if you don't. You'd be hard pressed to find people who feel 'alienated' because the don't follow football.
The UK has heaps of immigrants too, and they're bidding for the Football World Cup in 2018 at the moment, and you don't hear them saying it might alienate the immigrant population.
So, to sum up, stop worrying about these immigrants. If they don't like it, they can fuck off.
If they do like it, they can stay; buy a black jersey, paint your face and bond with other NZer's over the love of our national team.
(Plus, those immigrants driving taxi's, making kebab's and running dairy's will be greatful of the influx of drunken foreigners with cash to spend!)