New Zealand Rugby is being urged to abandon a proposed sponsorship deal with its UK petroleum giant INEOS.
RNZ understands INEOS is set to replace insurance company AIG who’s ten year deal as the All Blacks jersey sponsor finishes up this year.
The INEOS logo though would not be on the jersey front but rather the All Blacks shorts – leaving the NZR with the opportunity to sign up another front of jersey sponsor.
INEOS, backed Team UK’s America’s Cup boat this year the deal could be worth in the region of $8 million a year to the NZR but still needs the approval of didas, who will remain the apparel sponsor of the All Blacks and the Players Association.
In a statement Greenpeace has urged New Zealand Rugby to abandon the sponsorhip deal labelling INEOS a “merchant of plastic pollution”.
“As the world turns against the corporations driving climate catastrophe, NZ Rugby must not sell our soul to an English oil corporate which is cynically wanting to greenwash it’s image by associating with the All Blacks and our country’s environmental reputation,” said Steve Abel of Greenpeace.
“This is exactly the sort of social license that oil and plastic polluters need to keep operating – we should never be sucked in to selling them our good name.
“This is reminiscent of the dark days of the 1981 SpringBok tour, when NZ rugby put our national team on the wrong side of history as the world was standing against the apartheid regime in South Africa,” he said.
“NZ Rugby must not put the All Blacks on the wrong side of history again.”
“The sponsorship deal also goes against one of the most important stands New Zealand has taken against climate change by being one of the first countries to ban new offshore oil and gas exploration.”
Greenpeace wants the Players’ Association to halt the deal.
“We hope that the New Zealand public and All Blacks and rugby players both present and past will stand and tell NZ Rugby no, you must not stain the silver fern in oil,” said Abel.
