/on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/rss 九一星空无限 Sat, 23 Aug 2025 14:38:44 Z en /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-willow-jean-prime-was-arrogant-to-ignore-erica-stanford/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-willow-jean-prime-was-arrogant-to-ignore-erica-stanford/ When it comes to politics, a pet peeve of mine is opposition members of Parliament who seemingly do little for 3 or 6 or 9 years and then come into power and seem baffled as to what they intend to do with the portfolio they are now in charge of.   And this applies to all parties - anyone in opposition. Heading into an election, I find myself wondering what on earth some politicians have done with their 3 plus previous years in opposition.   I appreciate that when you’re in opposition, you have significantly less resources that when in Government,  and don’t have great access to the Budget detail or ministry they’ll inherit when in power. But we’re not paying opposition MP’s just to perform occasionally in the House and in the front of the media. We’re paying them to fully understand their area of responsibility and have the expertise to challenge the Government’s ideas and bills so they can advocate effectively for the best outcome for all New Zealanders.   A special callout here for list MPs - who don’t have the added responsibility and duties of representing an electorate.   If you are the spokesperson for a fast moving portfolio such as education, then being seen to be across the Government’s plans is even more important.   Willow-Jean Prime’s seeming lack of interest as Labour’s education spokesperson in a generational change proposed by the Government for secondary education this week irks. I’m sure she’s not the first MP to ignore correspondence or decline a meeting, but her refusal to work with Education Minister Erica Stanford on changes to NCEA irks because it looks lazy. It looks arrogant. Most annoyingly, it looks like Labour isn’t interested in working with the Government on serious issues that many New Zealanders would prefer adopted a bipartisan approach.   I get that it sucks when your competitor is in Government, develops an initiative and reaches out for bi-partisan consensus. It’s on their terms and benefits them. But we’re scrapping the current national standards program for senior education and implementing a new one with a short time period for consultation. Isn’t that something worth coming together on? Isn’t it something worth swallowing some pride for?  The excuse was that Willow-Jean Prime prioritised engaging with the sector over speaking to the minister. Yes, engagement with the sector is important, but you’d presume prime was already well. Being more informed by the Minister surely would only make those engagement conversations more insightful.   Erica Stanford is moving at pace - she’s been moving at pace since she took on the education portfolio. Stanford is an example of a Minister using her time in opposition wisely.   There isn’t a lot of time for consultation - Willow-Jean Prime is right on that one. But she’s had since March to get her head around the Government’s direction and would be much better prepared if she had accepted Stanford’s offer to continue working cross party on this. As an opposition list MP with a commitment to one select committee, there’s no excuse. She should be able to keep up.    LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 09 Aug 2025 22:20:33 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-something-good-has-to-come-out-of-gambling/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-something-good-has-to-come-out-of-gambling/ If you’re a footballer or have a young footballer in the family there’s a chance you received an email from New Zealand Football on Friday asking you to have your say on the new Online Casino Gambling (OCG) Bill.   It’s not just New Zealand Football who are making their participants aware of how this bill could potentially impact them. 33 of our biggest sports codes have come together in an impressively coordinated effort to warn the Government about the massive impact this bill could have on community sport. Basically - it will likely become more expensive for you or your kids to belong to a club if new online gambling outlets aren’t required to hand over a percentage of their revenue for local community good.   For the last 50 years or so, we’ve balanced a trade off when it comes to gambling. It is legal, but a share of gambling revenues must go back to the community. Currently, $170 million every year is distributed by gaming trusts to community sport. We all know the trade off - some good comes out of something which is damaging for others.   The global online casino market is experiencing unprecedented growth. In 2024, the market was valued at approximately US $19.7 billion, and it’s projected to reach $56.8 billion by 2033. New Zealanders can already access offshore gambling websites, but it is against the law to host these websites in New Zealand.   So to get in on the action and clip the ticket along the way, the Government is proposing a framework for licensing and regulation of up to 15 online casino gambling operators in NZ, allowing revenue to be brought back into NZ, local oversight and consumer protections.   Now, this may sound like a perfectly reasonable approach to you - but there is one thing missing. And that is the community contribution, or an alternative revenue stream for these community organisations. If online gambling grows as expected, less people will be spending their money on traditional gambling outlets. Less revenue means less grants, sport becomes more expensive and out of reach for much of the community, and grass root sports organisations which are already struggling… disappear.   No amount of sausage sizzles is going to cover the declining funding.   The argument that these new online casinos should not have to make community payments because it would be a perverse incentive to increase gambling activity to increase revenue to cover the contribution - is plain silly.   I’m pretty sure increasing gambling activity is one of their main KPI’s, regardless of where the revenue goes. And if the Government is worried about New Zealand becoming one of the highest taxed jurisdictions for online gambling, then set aside some of the tax revenue to make up for the lost community funding.   Why are we pandering to online gambling outfits? To do so makes what is already an uncomfortable trade-off just feel wonky.   Club sport is part of Kiwi culture. It gets us off our devices and outdoors. It gets us moving, it keeps us connected and working together, and it teaches us to be humble. It inspires tenacity, persistence and determination. It allows us to dream and be ambitious and achieve great things.   It makes us laugh and cry, celebrate and commiserate, and brings out the best and sometimes worst in us. Without it we will have lost something that’s core to our communities.   What a ridiculous thing to put at risk.   LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 02 Aug 2025 21:59:53 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-has-the-government-got-its-priorities-right-with-the-electoral-changes/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-has-the-government-got-its-priorities-right-with-the-electoral-changes/ Right, all you dropkicks out there - as David Seymour fondly called some voters this week - the electoral laws are changing and you’re being given a good year’s notice to make sure you’re enrolled and your details are correct before advanced voting starts in the general election next year. No enrolments or changes will be accepted after advanced voting starts.   You may think a year is adequate time to get your head around new rules and be prepared. But I was surprised by some of the stats around voting. In 2023, 134,000 people changed their physical address or electorates during the advanced voting period, and almost 100,00 people enrolled to vote.   I don’t have an issue with not being able to enrol or make changes on Election Day. But not being able to do these things during the 12 days of advanced voting before the election is clearly going to catch people out.   It’s because of the big numbers I mentioned that the Electoral Commission has raised issues around the cost and administrative burden of processing so many special votes and late enrolments.   But I don’t think this change has its priorities straight. Should it be made harder to vote just so it’s cheaper and easier on election admin? We should be making voting as accessible as possible for all New Zealanders, the organised ones and the not so organised ones, so they can fulfil their democratic right to vote, so parliament represents as many of us as possible. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, who is championing the changes, has been warned by Ministry of Justice officials that these changes could result in lower enrolment rates, lower turnout, and more disallowed votes.   We’re being told there will be educational campaigns about the new rules and how to vote next year, possibly from the orange man. But you only need to look at the numbers I mentioned to know not everyone is seeing or taking notice of what the orange man has to say.   Goldsmith argues that we will also get results faster with fewer special votes, which take longer to process. And yes, it would be good to get a government in place quicker than some we’ve seen, but often it’s clear from Election Night results which parties have the ability to put a coalition together. So instead of waiting for weeks for a few seats to be confirmed, what’s stopping those parties engaging in the negotiation process? Anyway, we can’t complain we haven’t been given fair notice. Just, whatever you do, don’t move house a couple of weeks before the next election.  LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 26 Jul 2025 22:06:22 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-wellington-deserves-better-than-what-we-heard-from-ray-chung-on-friday/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-wellington-deserves-better-than-what-we-heard-from-ray-chung-on-friday/ On Friday afternoon, when I heard that Ray Chung, Mayoral candidate for Wellington, was going to appear with Ryan Bridge on 九一星空无限talk ZB’s Drive to discuss the gossipy email he sent regarding Tory Whanau, I thought good on him for fronting.  7 minutes and 20 seconds later, I was as speechless as Ryan Bridge.  What a bumbling, embarrassing trainwreck of an interview.  First there was the comment it had been a hard couple of days for Ray Chung since the email was publicly released. Well, yes, when you’re running in a local body election and caught spreading salacious gossip it can make for a tough day. But considering Mr Chung had been on the phone since 4am on Friday, and spent the day talking to media about the fiasco, you’d expect him to have crafted a tight message by 5pm.  I expected him to apologise for spreading gossip, clarify what happened, accept responsibility. You known, to demonstrate some, well, leadership potential. Some mayoral potential.  I’m a big advocate for voting in local body elections. I want to have a say in who runs my city. I know it’s not the cool thing to do and most people can’t be bothered. But I love and appreciate everything my city has to offer and I want it to be a great and affordable place to live.  But to get people to vote we need candidates who are articulate, smart, and decisive leaders. We need people who understand the political environment, can work with others, and know how to get things done. Back in 2022, Wellington City councilor Iona Pannett despaired at how toxic and negative the campaigning was in the local body elections. More recently Tory Whanau has called politics an “ugly place”. Some of the issues highlighted by Crown observer of Wellington City Council, Lindsay McKenzie, are that it’s an overwhelmed council, there is public criticism by elected members, and dysfunctional relationships.  If there was ever a time Wellington needed a candidate who can convince constituents they can as mayor bring this council together and make it function, then it’s now. And yet, here we are. Ten days after candidate nominations opened for local body elections and the dirty politics has kicked off. Did Ray Chung write that email out of genuine concern for his Mayor? Probably not. Has the email’s release being timed to hurt Ray Chung’s campaign.Probably yes. So, no one looks particulargreat do they? Wellington deserves better.  This isn’t a big enough faux pas for Chung to take himself out of the race. But if he’s going to continue, can I suggest he takes a simpler approach to dealing with issues. When the receipt (as the kids say these days) is there for all to see, apologise and take accountability. You don’t need to over explain, and if you're ever asked whether you've had an orgy - just say no. Sat, 12 Jul 2025 22:21:45 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-why-cant-we-get-sports-stadiums-right/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-why-cant-we-get-sports-stadiums-right/ As the All Blacks took to the field at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin last night to stagger over the line against the French, I thought about the calls I had on Marcus Lush Nights on Friday, talking about the future of our large stadiums - and in particular of Forsyth Barr Stadium and Wellington’s Sky Stadium. It doesn’t seem to matter which city you’re in across the country, stadiums are problematic. Auckland continues its decade-old debate about whether we need a new multipurpose waterfront stadium and now, what to do with Western Springs.   Christchurch rate payers are unhappy about the cost blowouts for their new stadium, Te Kaha - although when it opens I reckon they'll be won over and pretty happy.   Wellington has a stadium that’s not well designed for rectangle sports - rugby or football - suffers for the city’s inclement weather and rarely looks full.   Te Kaha has them all spooked.   As fans took their seat at Forsyth Barr last night they may have wondered how likely, after Christchurch’s shiny new stadium opens next year, they will be to see concerts from artists such as Pink and Ed Sheeran, or All Black tests, in their city again.   And they are right to be worried.   There is only so much sport to go around, and with more global acts skipping New Zealand, competition is only going to get tougher.   We tend to think of large outdoors stadium as a must for a city of a certain size - a required piece of civic infrastructure like a library, theatre or art gallery - but perhaps we’re more ambitious than we need to be. Does the South Island really need two covered stadiums? Perhaps not. But if you live in Christchurch you’re thinking about Christchurch, not contemplating what it means for the stadium down the road.   Forsyth Barr was conceived before the Christchurch Earthquake, opening in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. So Forsyth Barr always expected to compete with Christchurch, and obviously there was confidence it could. You could say Dunedin has had an unexpected advantage over the last 14 years. But now with competing stadiums, it’s on the council and stadium management to step up and find a way to ensure the stadium remains an asset for the city and not a white elephant.   The saying ‘built it and people will come’ doesn’t apply to stadiums. You need to convince people to choose your stadium and your city to perform in, and then convince the locals to attend. Everyone has a role in making stadiums work.   Look at Eden Park. The recent change to allow up to 12 concerts a year to be held there has seen a surge in fondness for the place - even if it’s mind-blowing how long it’s taken to happen. The benefit are obvious on show weekends.   Last night looked like a great night in Dunedin. The crowd in full voice, clearly enjoying the entertainment - both the stadium and the All Blacks got the job done. Gee, I hope it lasts. It’s going to be really difficult, but hopefully Dunedin will find a way to make sure Forsyth Barr remains a source of pride.  LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 05 Jul 2025 22:42:00 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-making-lotto-harder-to-win-might-come-with-more-problems/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-making-lotto-harder-to-win-might-come-with-more-problems/ So, what’s your number?   What’s the amount you think would be perfect to win in Lotto Powerball? The amount that allows you to pay off the mortgage, set the kids up, help family, and maybe fulfil a dream or two - but without it upending your life in a negative way?   We’ve all got a fantasy number, right? I reckon $10 million would be perfect, but to be honest, I’d take anything the numbers give me. A couple of grand - cheers!   Lotto NZ has a proposition to evolve the draw to ensure it continues to appeal to people. It’s early stages and will need Government approval, but the idea is to see fewer regular wins and more of the exciting mega jackpots of $50 million. How do they do this? By adding another Powerball number.  Currently to win Powerball, you need to get the 6 first division numbers, and the Powerball number. There are 10 balls in the Powerball draw and your chances of winning are 1 in 38 million. Add one extra Powerball and the odds would decrease to 1 in 42.2 million, meaning the jackpots rise to the crazy amounts which cause a frenzy of ticket sales.   $50 million jackpots sound exciting. It’s why so many people ignore the odds and queue up to buy a ticket in the hope of winning an unfathomable amount of money. So Lotto NZ are likely onto something here. But it will also make it harder to win.  I’ve always felt uncomfortable when the number gets above the $20 million mark. Yes, it’s wonderful to think of the good you could do, but I also start to think about things - like whether I would tell anyone? How could you keep it private? Would it impact my friendships? Relationships with family? How would it impact our children and how they chose to live their lives? Would it change priorities and values?   Yes, you could say it’s a waste of energy overthinking something which I can say with confidence is not going to happen. Even so, hearing about Powerball winners, and there have been 11 overnight millionaires this year, including two lucky punters who split $30 million from Saturday last week, does see me buying the occasional ticket.   So knowing it’s even harder to win and there will be fewer winners makes the lotto draw less appealing to me. For two simple reasons. I don’t think anyone needs to win $50 million. And I’d much prefer more New Zealanders had the life changing experience of waking up on Sunday a heck of lot better off, rather than just a few waking up filthy rich.  LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 28 Jun 2025 21:33:03 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-why-does-jaws-still-have-such-a-long-lasting-impact/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-why-does-jaws-still-have-such-a-long-lasting-impact/ This week, Steven Spielberg’s terrifying film Jaws turned 50. Yes, 50.   Jaws was released in 1975, and on Friday afternoon I mentioned this on 九一星空无限talk ZB and shared how much it affected me when I saw it for the first time.   We were having our first big family holiday - Mum and Dad took us to the Gold Coast to see family, and on the first night my cousin thought it would be a great idea to slip the Jaws VHS into the player to entertain his Kiwi cousins. We were there for two weeks to enjoy the beach and sunshine, and I refused to enter the water. I think I may have got in up to my knees at the beach, and then I would ask if we could go back to the apartment complex pool. My parents did not take me to Oz to swim in a pool.   Even though I was scared senseless by the film, I was reminded by the chat on Friday that so was everyone else. People were calling to say Jaws had driven them out of the ocean for their entire lives.   Not many films leave that kind of impression. It didn’t matter that we knew the shark wasn’t real. It didn’t matter that we knew it was a fictional story. It didn’t matter that we knew we were being manipulated for entertainment’s sake. Jaws simply had us all on edge in the water.   Jaws also created a template many films have followed since. Alien was said to be pitched as Jaws in space, and in Nope, filmmaker Jordan Peele’s lead characters are stalked by a mysterious alien presence which doesn’t reveal itself until late in the film, much like the great white in Jaws.   Withholding the shark’s appearance in Jaws until the second hour wasn’t intentional, but it worked brilliantly as a tension building device. What the audience conjured up in their imagination was worse than anything Spielberg could deliver. It turned out that Bruce, the mechanical shark, was a nightmare to work with. He hadn’t been tested in salt water and often wasn’t able to perform.   So, Bruce appeared less than expected and also pushed the shoot out from 55 days to 159. This meant the film couldn’t open when scheduled, which was just before Christmas in 1974, and the decision was made to release it in the summer of 1975.   Jaws didn’t just revolutionise the ‘creature’ genre. It was the first ever summer blockbuster and changed the way Hollywood releases movies. It also became the first film to cross the US$100 million takes mark at the box office. It was also a disservice to sharks!   But as Friday’s chat proved, this pop culture phenomenon’s biggest achievement is probably that summers have never been quite the same.    Thank goodness we get to commemorate the Jaws anniversary in winter.   LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 21 Jun 2025 22:10:52 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-its-the-end-of-an-era-for-two-classic-kiwi-brands/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-its-the-end-of-an-era-for-two-classic-kiwi-brands/ This week marks the end of an era for two classic Kiwi brands - department store Smith & Caughey’s announced it will shut their doors for the last time at 4pm today, and hosiery manufacturer Columbine that they’re closing their Gisborne factory in August.   These are both sad events. Smith & Caughey’s has been part of Queen St for 145 years, and Columbine has kept me in opaque tights for as long as I can remember, and others for longer before! But the news was hardly shocking.  Manufacturing in New Zealand has become increasingly challenging and costly over decades. Retail has been transformed by online shopping and parallel importing. A disruptive pandemic didn’t help, and continuing economic uncertainty means closures are an unfortunate reality.   It’s incredible tough for staff, and while no one involved is likely interested in silver-linings right now, we should take a moment to celebrate that Smith & Caughey’s employed people for 145 years, and Columbine for 75 years. Both are significant achievements.   But it’s going to be an emotional afternoon on Queen St today. A tough day for staff, shoppers, suppliers, and those who loved making the annual trip up the elevator to see Santa Claus and the incredible Christmas displays. I have a collection of photos in which at least one of my kids is crying while posing next to the bearded stranger. I know, my bad. But the bauble for the tree was always appreciated.   Many of us have memories of this Auckland retail icon. Whether you live in Auckland or have visited over the years, Smith & Caughey’s initially offered service and products you couldn’t get anywhere else. It was a historic company with a female founder ahead of her time, set in a beautiful building. Think of the secrets and stories hidden in those walls.   Smith & Caughey’s explanation for closing was a “perfect storm of adversity”. In addition to economic uncertainty, they referenced increased parking costs, ongoing roadworks and the slow progress of the City Rail Link (CRL) as having an impact on shoppers. While today should be a day of appreciation and fond memories, retailers can’t afford to be quite so nostalgic. There are lessons to be learnt about moving with the times, adapting to competition, less exclusivity and retaining customers.   Also announced this week, Columbine, a family business and the last hosiery manufacturer in New Zealand, will shut its doors and 45 jobs will go.   Once again, reality bites. A written statement from the company said the decision was “driven by a combination of declining sales and increased operational costs, which made it unsustainable to continue manufacturing in Gisborne”.  Interestingly, recently released data compiled by Infometrics looked at the types of jobs which have disappeared over the last 25 years. If you look at jobs in manufacturing - such as a sewing machinist, footwear production machine operator, hide and skin processing machine operator, knitting machine operator, textile dyeing and finishing machine operator and others, employment has fallen from 14,472 to 5608 since 2000.   This isn’t just because companies have closed, but because technology has taken over. It’s a reminder that change and challenge are constant in most sectors.   So surviving as a manufacturer in New Zealand for 75 years is nothing to scoff at. It’s actually very impressive and quite something really.    Both companies should be proud of their legacies.  LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 14 Jun 2025 22:15:39 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-theres-no-doubt-that-robyn-malcolm-is-in-her-prime/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-theres-no-doubt-that-robyn-malcolm-is-in-her-prime/ Two things have entertained me this week. We’ve had the falling out of two of the world’s most powerful and wealthy narcissists - all of which played out on their own social media platforms. This breakup must be the most predicted thing to come out of Trump’s presidency so far.   After the drama of Thursday’s outbursts, there seems to be a de-escalation between President Trump and his former benefactor and DOGE leader Elon Musk. Maybe they each realised they’re unlikely to win outright, with the other having a platform to keep the jabs coming. Or maybe a little more strategic thought is going into next moves, although I’m not sure how much lower the blows could have gone.   But if you’re looking for alternative entertainment this weekend, I can recommend Netflix’s The Survivors.   The Aussie series is based on a Jane Harper novel set in Tasmania, and tells the story of how a present-day death in a coastal town brings back difficult memories of a 15-year-old tragedy when 3 young people died at sea. It’s a crime drama filled with small town secrets, buried trauma and grief. At the heart of this film, giving another acting masterclass, is our very own Kiwi legend Robyn Malcolm. Every time I see Malcolm in a new role I say it’s her best performance yet - she’s at the very top of her game. It occurred to me this weekend that she’s always been at the top of her game - whether on Shortland St, Outrageous Fortune, Jane Campion’s Top of the Lake or Aussie comedies like Rake or Upper Middle Bogan.  But there’s no doubt Malcolm just keeps getting better. While many other actors discuss the difficulty of getting work once a woman hits a certain age, Malcolm reminds us the middle years can be the glory years. That a life of experience and hard work can lead to the roles of a lifetime. Recent performances in After the Party, Pike River, and The Survivors are giving writers a reason to write wonderfully layered, messed up characters for women like Malcolm to play.   If you look at Robyn’s resume you’d think she’s been employed consistently since walking out of drama school in 1987. But I know it hasn’t always been easy. Being an actor is not an easy life no matter how damn good you are. But watching Malcolm, along with Dianne Taylor, pick up a pen and create a project for herself - the Bafta-nominated After the Party - proves you can be middle aged, relevant, celebrated and seen, if you want to be.     It's hard to take your eyes off her in The Survivor. But just wait until you see her in Rob Sarkies’ new film Pike River, which is being released in New Zealand in October. Yip, you guessed it. Her best work yet. Seriously, she is spectacular as Sonya Rockhouse. There is no doubt 2025 is going to be a great year for Malcolm, and I’m sure it’s just the beginning of an amazing third act.  LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 07 Jun 2025 22:14:28 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-how-can-we-stop-the-sideline-abuse-in-sport/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/opinion/francesca-rudkin-how-can-we-stop-the-sideline-abuse-in-sport/ This week, the New Zealand rugby union say it will cancel senior rugby matches for a weekend if there are any more incidents of serious abuse directed towards referees. And I say - good on them. The Horowhenua Kapiti Rugby Football Union said recent events had seen refs targeted with verbal threats, threats of physical harm - including of being stabbed - and 'actual physical abuse'. We don’t put up with verbal or physical abuse or intimidation in our homes or in our work places - why would we put up with it in a public space, in front of families watching a game of sport? This isn’t a new problem. But is it getting worse, or are we just now fed up enough to do something about it Weekend Sport’s Jason Pine told me yesterday it’s probably a bit of both.  Back in March, a NZ survey released by Aktive, the Regional Sports Trust for the wider Auckland region, found that more than 60 percent of survey participants had witnessed inappropriate behaviour at least once or twice a season. And get this - most of this was verbal abuse directed at children.  It also found that referees and volunteers were subjected to verbal abuse. In my view this is an unhealthy extension of the rowdy Kiwi sidelines filled with subjective parents, one eyed supporters, self-proclaimed experts, passionate school pits and plenty of encouragement, banter and, increasingly, abuse.   I’ve got an easy fix. Not everyone will like the idea. You may think it’s no fun. You may ask what’s the point of standing in miserable winter weather watching your kid if you can’t be part of it. But here's the idea - quieten down on the sideline, think of kids' sport as an opportunity to show them positivity rather than aggression, and maybe this will spread across sport in general  I have some experience with this. So, I have always been vocal from the sideline. I’ve thought of it as a sign of interest in my kids and as encouragement. When I stood on the field for my first foray into coaching and refing 8-year-old's football, I was absolutely shocked at what I heard.   Children can’t hear specific instructions because generally parents all yell at the same time, when the attack is threatening and the defence is scrambling. All they hear is noise. Loud aggressive, instructional noises - then either noises of disappointment or celebration. They also can’t hear each other, or the ref.   It’s overwhelming, and ever since that experience I’ve been a fan of only positive noises - claps and cheers when players do well. Because children and teens all know when they didn’t play well. They don’t need to be told.   So, it was great to see more than 1000 players aged between 5 and 10 from 10 Hawke’s Bay clubs took part in the Unison Junior Festival yesterday. The football event was all about positive vibes, as it aimed to highlight the importance of constructive and supportive sideline behaviour from parents and supporters.   It’s just one of many campaigns out there to create a more supportive environment for people involved in sport. Top New Zealand rugby ref and victim of horrible abuse, Ben O'Keefe, is now an ambassador for 'Love Their Game', launched by Aktive to remind people that the game belongs to those playing, refereeing, coaching and managing, and not those on the sideline.  Hopefully these types of programmes will mean more quality experiences for those involved in sport, from the players to the volunteers.   And can I suggest that if you don’t like the way a team is managed, coached or refereed, then feel free to step up and become a volunteer yourself, rather than yelling from the sidelines.  LISTEN ABOVE  Sat, 31 May 2025 22:30:47 Z