October 11, 2012
Greens challenge MUMA Tyson sponsorship
Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei wants Maori men to stand up for their wahine.
She’s challenging Manukau Urban Maori Authority Chief Executive Willie Jackson and his talkback co-host John Tamihere to drop their support for former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson coming to New Zealand.
Tyson’s promoter wants to bring his Broadway show to this country, and the pair say he should get a special visa if he agrees to give a motivational talk to young Maori on a South Auckland marae.
Ms Turei says nothing Tyson has done since serving a prison sentence for rape qualifies him to be a role model.
"He hasn’t apologised for his crimes and he continues to make extremely vicious public statements about raping women. This is not a man I want anywhere near our young people, particularly young Maori men. It’s actually really concerning now that we have Maori men supporting him to come here to talk to our young Maori men when he still has such a hateful attitude to Maori women, and I don’t know if Maori women could tolerate that," she says.
Ms Turei says one in four women have suffered from sexual abuse and Maori women are even more at risk.