2nd. N.Z.E.F. HAS STRONG OBJECTION TO NAME “ALL BLACKS”

Grey River Argus, 3 September 1948, Page 6

2nd. N.Z.E.F. HAS STRONG OBJECTION TO NAME “ALL BLACKS”

F.A. WELLINGTON, Sept 2” “Members of the Second N.Z.E.F. Association throughout New Zealand will emphatically support the Hon E. T. Tirikatene in his contention that the Rugby team to tour South Africa must not be termed an All Black side if Maori players are deliberately excluded. “The Rugby Union decision will leave a dirty taste in the mopth of every returned serviceman, because of its lamentable and thoroughly obnoxious raising of the colour bar,’’ says a statement by Mr R. Childs, secretary of the Wellington branch of the Second N.Z.E.F. Association, which was released this afternoon. “The Maori troops were among the finest in the world, and the Maoris serving in every branch of this country’s armed services earned a splendid reputation. They were an integral part of the nation’s defence during the war, and they are an integral part of our organisation in peace-time,” continues the statement.

“INSULT TO ALL” “An insult to them is an insult to us all, for the comradeship of [ Maori and European, forged in battle cannot be set aside as lightly as some people appear to think. My branch feels that the South African Rugby Union should be firmly told that in New Zealand, Maori and European are indivisible. The matter is one which goes far beyond the field of sport. It offends a fundamental principle of our way of life, and is particularly offensive to the returned men. ‘‘ “Our Maori members have suffered a grievous hurt, made more severe by the silence of the Rugby Union as to the' reasoning behind their decision. “If it should be suggested, for even one moment, that South Africa is being permitted, either directly or through the tacit consent of a New Zealand organisation, to thrust her racial policy down the throats of New Zealanders, then clearly a protest should be made on a national scale. In any'case,, the very least that can be done, if the Maoris remain excluded, is to make it crystal clear to South Africa and the world that the team we send is only one New Zealand team, and definitely not a truly representative side. Personally. 1 I feel that, rather than bow the knee to an alien creed, such as | racial discrimination, New Zealand should refuse to send a team at all.