CASTLE’S IN THE AIR

She’s got a Dream, but it’s not about what’s Fair

Raelene Castle has bounced around in New Zealand and Australian sports administration circles for at least a couple of decades. Raelene was CEO of Netball New Zealand 2007-13, during which time our national team, the Silver Ferns, failed to win a Netball World Championship.

Raelene then jumped the Tasman Sea and became the CEO of rugby league club Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2013-2017, the first woman to become chief executive of an Australian rugby league club. Back then, Raelene was a feminist and sort-of feminist icon. However, the “Doggies” failed to bite during her tenure, and Raelene went on to inflict her unique qualities on Rugby Australia, where she was CEO 2017-2020.

As Rugby Australia CEO, Raelene sacked Israel Folau from Australian Rugby’s national team for having the temerity to point out that, under Mr Folau’s Christian belief system, gay people are destined for Hell when they die. The noise that came from the Castle was “So as CEO, I’ve got a responsibility to provide a safe environment for the staff. And I’ve had a number of gay staff. And they were scared, they felt bullied, they felt uncomfortable”. In reality, Folau’s sacking was largely to appease Rugby Australia’s then major sponsor, Queer Qantas. Settling Folau’s legal action cost Rugby Australia precious multi-millions.

Raelene then blew up Rugby Australia’s 25-year lucrative television rights relationship with Fox Sports. When Fox offered to extend Fox’s television rights package from 2021 to 2025, Raelene rejected Fox’s offer and tried to chip Fox for more money, just as COVID was hitting. The essential need for Rugby Australia not to threaten its sources of funding - given the COVID economic storm cloud on the near horizon - escaped Raelene. But her number was at last up. Raelene was forced to resign from Rugby Australia. In a rare moment of clarity, Raelene astutely admitted that she believed Rugby Australia’s Board no longer wanted her in the CEO role.

At this point, one would’ve been tempted to conclude that Raelene’s Cushy Castle might’ve been beginning to crumble. But far from it. By 2020, a Labour Government was in power across the Tasman and Zealand’s Zany Zeitgeist was perfectly pitched for Raelene to continue to thrive, prosper and live her best life. Raelene Waltzing Matildaed her way back to the country by then known compulsorily as Aotearoa, and took the helm at Sport New Zealand, where she remains CEO to this day.

What is Sport New Zealand?

Sport NZ is a Crown agency under its own Act of Parliament - the Sport and Recreation New Zealand Act 2002. Basically, Sport NZ dishes out vast sums of money, ostensibly to encourage physical recreation and sport in New Zealand. It is funded directly by the Government, and by Lotto. It seems from Sport NZ’s website that it’s particularly keen on young Muslim women taking up boxing.

In practice, Sport NZ exists as much for the benefit of the fortunate hundreds whom it employs. According to Sport NZ’s latest Annual Report, it pays its 300 staff $35 million annually in salaries. That’s an average salary for Sport NZ employees of about $120,000. Castle’s salary is not publicly available.

I know good, competent, hardworking people who work at Sport NZ. But quite what work most others do at Sport NZ on a daily basis is shrouded in mystery. I guess quite a few maintain Sport NZ’s slick website.

The $35 million that Sport NZ spends on salaries doesn’t include what Sport NZ pays its directors. It’s always fascinating to see who populates the Boards of these public entities. My favorite Sport NZ Director is Robyn Cockburn:

Under its Act, Sport NZ’s top eight functions are as follows:

But Sport NZ is not immune to inventing novel new functions, outside of its Act. For example, Sport NZ is big on committing to the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi (whatever they may be):

Sport NZ is also mightily enthusiastic about encouraging Transgender people to play sport.  Sport NZ’s Guiding Principles for Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport (December 2022) comprise 24 pages of 12,000 words Transgender Guiding Principles | Sport New Zealand - Ihi Aotearoa (sportnz.org.nz).

It is Castle’s commitment to Transgender sporting inclusion that currently courts controversy. This is because:

• as the discerning reader will note from above - Sport NZ’s functions include “to…encourage participation in physical recreation and sport by…women”

• the sort of Transgender sporting inclusion that Raelene has in mind can positively discourage women (biological females) from participating in sport in Aotearoa New Zealand

Sport NZ’s Transgender sporting inclusion is overridingly about encouraging biological males who say they want to be biological females to play sport against women. And the difficulty here is that biological males generally are stronger and faster and have more stamina than biological females. So, when Transgender women (who are actually men) play contact sports against women, women tend to get injured or defeated, or just quit sport. And, even in non-contact sports, Dudes who complete against Sheilas mostly win, or find themselves on the winning side, which one might credibly argue is tantamount to…cheating. In Sport NZ’s neck of the Weird World of Woke, Trans Sporting Inclusion trumps Sporting Fairness for Women.

Whatever else, the manifest conflict between Sport NZ’s statutory duty to encourage women to participate in sport (on the one hand) and (on the other) Sport NZ’s Transgender Guiding Principles, would…make for a riveting Court case!

NZ First enters the fray

The NZ First political party is animated by this Transgender sporting issue and NZ First’s coalition agreement with the National Party includes, as part of the agreed Policy Programme:

To uphold the principles of liberal democracy, including equal citizenship and parliamentary sovereignty, the Parties will…Ensure publicly funded sporting bodies support fair competition that is not compromised by rules relating to gender

So, the NZ First/National Party Coalition Agreement butts up against the Transgender inclusivity of Sport NZ and the sporting bodies funded by Sport NZ that have swallowed the whole Transgender Shtick.

Last Wednesday 19 June 2024, Winston Peters stated to Sean Plunket on The Platform that Sport NZ’s current stance of Transgender sporting participation is not aligned with the National Party/NZ First coalition agreement.

Chippy Hippy Hipkins (remember him?…still Labour Party leader and the guy who doesn’t know what a woman is) has proclaimed, somewhat cryptically, that the domain of Transgender inclusivity is “dangerous territory” and the Government should “keep out”.

National Party Minister of Sport Chris Bishop has so far refused to be drawn on Sport NZ Transgender Inclusion.

And Raelene Castle is not talking either. But in this mother of an ideological debate, Sport NZ won’t be able to keep mum forever. Winston Peters is not one to back off.

All we know for sure is that Raelene has swapped her former Feminism for extreme Wokery. Whichever way the wind blows around the Castle, there’s more water to flow in her Moat.