Mark Mitchell: Sport Minister on the directive for Sport NZ to remove the transgender guidelines

The Sports Minister's standing up for a coalition-based decision directing Sport New Zealand to remove its community sport trans guidelines.  

The 2022 principles allowed people to play community sports according to their gender identity.  

Sport Minister Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking most fair-minded Kiwis would agree with the move, which honours safety and fairness.  

He says as part of a New Zealand First coalition agreement, they decided not to dictate what sporting bodies should be doing, saying the bodies themselves know best.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In what increasingly looks like a global change of hearts sport,
New Zealand has been told to scrap its transgender inclusion guidelines. Previously,
trans people could take part in community sports the gender
they identified with. The change hands control back to individual sports. Now,
Mark Mitchell these days as Minister of Sport, of course
news whether it's Mark morning to.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
You, hey, good morning, Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
You took this from Bishop of course at once point
in time. How angsty is this whole issue in this
portfolio generally.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Oh, there's always there's quite a bit of discussion and
debate that sort of happens around it. But look, I
think that generally speaking, most fair minded Kiwis would say
that when it comes to sport, it so they should.
The basic tenant around it should be safety and fairness.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Are you arguing that or are you arguing that because
New Zealand first told you to argue that?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
No. No, I personally believe that I've played sport my
whole life, and I think that safety and fairness the
two guiding principles that any sporting or code should follow it.
But we've decided, as part of the coalition agreement with
New Zealand first that you know that the government is
not going to dictate to the codes what they would
be doing. The codes and the sporting bodies themselves they
know best, They know how to run their sports fairly

(01:06):
and safely, and so they can make those decisions in
consultation with throwing communities in their own members.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
That leaves the possibility of some rogue sports doing rogue
things in a lot of community angst. If that unfolds,
is that they're problem no longer yours.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
No Sporting in Zeed's well, any sporting bodies that are
funded by the New Zealand tax bar, Sporting in z
has a responsibility to monitor and make sure that those
that those sports and those codes are actually being run properly.
So no, there'll still be government oversight on any sporting
body or organization that receives tax has money.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Right, Why doesn't this go all the way to elite sport?
Why is it stuck at community?

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Well, it's right across sport, but we've just decided that government.
Well it relates to codes and sports. So codes and
sports have got both ground you know, grassroots sports and
they've got elite sports people as well, So it doesn't
differentiate it it relates to all codes and sports.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Do Sports New Zealand accept this willingly or do they
do it begrudgingly?

Speaker 2 (02:11):
No, they accepted it very willingly. They're a great organization
that are focused on making sure that we can deliver
and maximize every textbar dollar in terms of participation in
supporting sport in New Zealand. We're a proud sporting nation
and both Sporting in ZED and Higher Formance Sporting ZED
do an outstanding job.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Put your cop hat on this five hundred delay? Yet again,
how ugly politically do you think it's going to get
for you?

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Look, I totally get it. But the fact of the
matter is is that is that we always said that
it was going to be tough. We haven't backed away
for the fact that we are working as hard as
we can. The police are working as hard as they
can to deliver on those five hundred. But of course
what we did on cover is that there had been
a move away from consistency around standards, and we've prioritized
standards and said that in a service like police, standards

(02:57):
really do matter.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Fair enough to where are you going to.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
I'm hitting back up talks. I'm sorry about that. I'm
sitting at the in the airport.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah, just a word's interested, know where you're where you're hitting.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
I'm hitting from that Talkland today.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
Could only mate fly well Mike Michelt, Minister of Sport.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
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