Minister Simon Watts talks upcoming Parliamentary Rugby match for Porirua charity

The Parliamentary Sports Trust's rugby and netball teams head to Porirua's Ngāti Toa Domain on Sunday October 20, for a special cause.

The teams will meet respective invitational teams from the Āhuru Mōwai Trust, to support the Porirua-based charity.

The trust supports families with extra and special needs, by creating safe spaces and places where they can find support.

Āhuru Mōwai's SOCKtober campaign through October supports families, saying "You might not be able to walk a mile in their shoes, but you can wear some socks to show your support".

The netball game at 10am and rugby game at 11:30am will be run alongside a barbeque and Hangi to purchase food for lunch, along with auction items and charity socks available to purchase.

To preview the day, Adam Cooper spoke to Climate Change Minister Simon Watts, who's co-captaining the Parliamentary Rugby team in their match.

LISTEN ABOVE

To donate to the cause, click HERE

For more information on the Āhuru Mōwai Trust, click HERE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right around the Wellington region.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
The All Sport Breakfast with Rutherford and Bond Toyota and
King Toyota your home of Hybrid Used Talksippy News Talks.
It be on the All Sport Breakfast are always great
when we can talk about sports going towards a great cause.
And next Sunday, October twenty at the Nazi Tower Domain
there will be the Parliamentary knitball and rugby teams facing off,

(00:23):
all to support the Ahudu Mowaii Trust here in Welling.
It's all part of their Soctober campaign this year which
is helping the charity continue to support families raising children
with extra and special needs. And as they say, you
might not be able to walk a mile in their shoes,
but you can wear some socks to show your support.
So a lot of fundraisers going on at Nati toa
next week with respective knitball and rugby games and in

(00:45):
the rugby team as co captain, Climate Change Minister Simon
Watsu's with us now. Simon, good morning to you. This
is pretty exciting as we count down to next Sunday.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Yeah, well thanks very much. Look, it's been a long
season so far. We've got a couple of big names
that are going to be making the pitch coming up
next weekend. And look that's exciting. It's a great history
in the team, thirty years the team's been playing next
year doing fixtures around the country for local charities, raising

(01:16):
money and importantly getting some of us old rusty MPs
out there on the pitch and stretching those legs.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
You mentioned a few exciting names. Can you give us
a bit of a tease or sneak pegas some of
the names that might be on the starting team for
the parliamentary team next week.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Well, he might not look at but he's pretty elusive
in the tight and that's Greg O'Connor, a local member
of parliament from down that way. Also a little bit
of speculation where it Chris Buship might be making in appearance.
We're just working on him at the moment. But look,
there'll be a few more players. We've got representation across
the different political parties. And also you'll see Billy Wheepoo

(01:56):
making another appearance. Obviously a lot of times since he
was last playing in the league space, but he's always
a regular attendee on the pitch for PRT.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah, wonderful, I mean you mentioned to it before, Simon,
but just in terms of you know, you guys have
very busy schedules. Your work sort of occupies a lot
of your lives. But how rewarding is it being able
to travel the country, you play at a sport and
do some cool things for charity.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Look, it's hugely rewarding. You know, it's a pretty unique opportunity.
As I say, when we're out there, we're no longer
MPs in our political parties. We're all on the same team,
and you know, it's it's an important role we do.
It shows the public in terms of you know, how
important sport is supporting local communities. And it's always a good,
clean game. It's a it's a competitive game, and there's

(02:44):
some good venture in the in the changing rooms afterwards,
and I think that just reflects, you know, the sady
history of the team, the fact that you know, we've
got some great sponsors that look after us, and the
fact that you know we've played hundreds of games over
that period around the country and also over as well,
which we obviously are the current holders of the Parliamentary
World Cup, which we won in Paris last year. So

(03:07):
that's that's pretty impressive as well.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Yeah great, So how many games have you actually played
this year? And yeah, how things tracked?

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Well, We've had it. We've had about four games this year.
I've been maybe co captain along with Penny Hennery. Last
year I think Martin Mitchell potentially was having to need
a hip operation, which seems to be the criteria for
for our captains to stand down in the team. And
I'm probably by virtue of being younger and still walking,

(03:34):
I've probably got got the call up. But yeah, we've
got it'll be it'll be some good, good warm ups
and we've had four games. We raised a lot of money.
We've had in Gibsbon post the flooding. We raised a
good amount of money there. We did Turney at Dolphin
Foundation game as well, which we raised some funds up
in Auckland. And probably my my favorite aspect was playing

(03:55):
at Rugby Park. I grew up in the way Kadow
and I had Carlos Spencer playing fallback in my squad.
So I'll be able to tell my green kids about
that story one day. That was about as good as
it got.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
I think wonderful. Simon, Hey, great to chat and good
on you and you're all your parliamentary and colleagues for
your support of this event with the rugby and nipple
teams next weekend at the NATI toa domain there in
Marnat where we'll see the parliamentary nipball and rugby teams
facing off some invitational teams, all to support the Ahudu
Mowai Trust, a very special charity, and their October campaign.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
For more from News Talks B listen live on air
or online and

Speaker 2 (04:33):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcasts on Irradio