Brent Impey: Former New Zealand Rugby Chairman on Kiwi K.A.R.E initiative to support Ukrainian rugby players who have been affected by war

Former New Zealand Rugby Chairman Brent Impey is taking part in rugby initiative Kiwi K.A.R.E to help support rugby players in Ukraine who have been affected by war. 

Impey has been working alongside Sir Graham Henry and other volunteers to help Ukrainian rugby teams continue to train and upskill their players. 

Trustee of Kiwi Aid and Refugee Evacuation, Impey tells Tim Beveridge he visited players in Ukraine and found they are still playing rugby throughout the Russian invasion. 

The Ukrainian team is hoping to qualify for the Olympics, and Impey is working with groups of 20 men and 20 women to build the national team amongst the region’s turmoil. 

“It is absolutely inspirational.” 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from Newstalk ZEDB. Follow this
and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
One of our highly respected names in rugby, former New
Zealand rugby chair Brent mp is taking part in a
rugby initiative called Kiwi Care. It's kai to help support
rugby players in Ukraine who've been affected by the war,
and he's been working alongside Sir Graham Henry other volunteers
to help their rugby teams to continue to train and

(00:37):
upscale their players. And former New Zealand rugby chair Brent
Empe joins me.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Now, good morning morning, Tim, Hi, good.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Thanks Marry Christmas. You went to Ukraine to visit these players.
Tell us about how that went well.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
First of all, I'm a trustee of Kiwi Care, which
is headed by Kem B. Powell and that provides medical
and human evacuations in Ukraine. So that's Kiwi Care. So
slightly separate to that, Timby and I were in Ukraine
and we met with Ukrainian rugby to find out what

(01:12):
they were, what they're up to, how we as New
Zealanders could help. So that's the background to it.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
So what might have ended you to get involved with
these players.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Well, what's motivated is the work that we're doing in
Ukraine to help the people in a terrible situation. So
coincidentally we met with Ukrainian rugby and remarkably they still
play the game in two forms. Really, there's sevens which
is played by men and women in European competitions, and

(01:45):
the men still play a club competition called it a
city competition among the five cities of Ukraine, which are Leviv, kith, Kiev, Denipro,
Odessa and of all places, Haki where the war is raging.
So they're still playing. They played from April to October,
same season as New Zealand because it's too cold over

(02:07):
the their winter.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
How do you how do you actually offer that support
to them? What form does that come in.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
Well, the thing that they are wanting there two things.
Number one is they would like to qualify for Olympic
sevens men and women. So we are working with twenty
men or will be working hopefully with twenty men and
twenty women and a group of maybe up to thirty

(02:36):
six young men under the age of twenty to build
up their national team. At the moment, their national team,
which remarkably still plays in the European competition, haven't played
a home game for three years. They're still playing the game,
but they want to build it up for the future.
So we are working with a group of New Zealand

(02:58):
called Iran's International Rugby Academy of New Zealand, which was
set up by Murray Mixtead now run by Wayne Taylor,
and the idea is to bring a group of players
to New Zealand for three weeks training and they'll just
give them the start that they need.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
It is quite bizarre, isn't it that When you, of course,
when you watch the news and you just see one
hundred and eighty three missiles on Christmas Day and all that,
that they managed to maintain aspects of normal life. I
guess it's hugely surprising, isn't it? Or is it not
that surprising?

Speaker 3 (03:30):
It is absolutely inspirational, Tom. I mean, when I went
to Tiev there are sirens going off every night, yet
the people are going about their everyday business. There are
traffic jams during rush hour, that they're working in their offices,
they are out at night. You wouldn't really notice any

(03:51):
difference except for a couple of things kind of the
air raid sirens. And the second thing is they have
a curfew, but the bars were full, people were active.
But what is really in behind it is that they
are incredibly resilient. They know they have to beat the
Russians and know what the Russians will do to them.
And you know, just as an off side, I did

(04:13):
go out to that place Boucher, which the Russians invaded
in twenty twenty two, and the way they treated the
people there is a sign of what the Russians would
do if they could.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Oh, dreadful. It looks like I have a suspicion we
might be learning a few more lessons from the Ukrainians
than they'll be learning from us. Brent. But hey, thank
you so much for your time. That is Brent MP,
former News in the Rugby Chair.

Speaker 1 (04:35):
For more from News Talks' b listen live on air
or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcast on iHeartRadio.