Whananaki feels like paradise to the Afghan families who fled the Taliban atrocities.
Video / Northern Advocate
The Black Caps will continue playing Afghanistan despite the Taliban Government’s human rights abuses.
Former MP Graham Kelly urges a boycott, comparing Taliban rule to apartheid South Africa.
NZ Cricket says playing there is supported by Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team.
The Black Caps have no plans to stop playing Afghanistan, despite the country being ruled by a regime the New Zealand Government treats as a terrorist organisation.
The Black Caps and Afghanistan played each other recently in the leadup to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Champions Trophyin Pakistan and Dubai.
The one-day international (ODI) match in Karachi – which the Black Caps won by two wickets – comes as the ruling Taliban increases its crackdown on human rights and calls grow around the world for countries to follow Cricket Australia’s stance and refuse to play Afghanistan outside official ICC events.
The United Nations has labelled some of the Taliban’s recent moves – including banning women from using public transport or moving around without the presence of a male guardian, and arresting women who ignore the Taliban’s dress code – as “gender apartheid”.
Girls are banned from attending secondary school and university and are subject to a strict dress code. The Taliban’s stance was described as an “institutionalised system of discrimination, segregation, disrespect for human dignity, and exclusion of women and girls” by UN special rapporteur Richard Bennett.
The Taliban is regarded as a terrorist entity under New Zealand law and is subject to UN sanctions.
But he refused to pay any attention to last month’s ODI clash out of disgust that New Zealand would face a country with an appalling human rights record.
A prominent member of New Zealand’s anti-apartheid movement from the 1960s-80s, he said sporting contact should be cut with Afghanistan just as it was eventually with apartheid-era South Africa.
“This [Taliban rule] is worse than apartheid South Africa ... a lot worse,” he told the Herald.
New Zealand special forces evacuating people from Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2021 as the Taliban once again took control of the country. Photo / NZDF
“That makes the rest of the world that is doing nothing even more culpable ... in turning a blind eye.”
Kelly recently penned two strongly worded emails to NZ Cricket chair Diana Puketapu-Lyndon calling for a sporting boycott “for the sake of the Afghanistan female population”, a move he told NZC would “safeguard its reputation”.
He said he believed sporting bodies, including NZC, should introduce sporting boycotts of Afghanistan, as occurred with apartheid South Africa.
He added that it was, at the very least, a “moral failure” for NZC not to follow Australia’s lead in refusing to play Afghanistan outside ICC tournaments, such as World Cups.
But NZC – whose chief executive Scott Weenink made clear his abhorrence of the Taliban rule in an interview with the Herald - says it believes more is achieved for women’s rights in Afghanistan by playing there. Its decision was made after a vast amount of consultation.
“It is discussed at every board meeting because it is so topical, where we assess what is the current situation in Afghanistan, what is the current situation with the ICC in response to playing cricket against Afghanistan,” Weenink said.
“And at this stage, and of course this may change depending on what happens with the ICC, globally or in Afghanistan itself ... we think we can be more effective in helping bring to light the plight of Afghani women by continuing to play Afghanistan men.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Scott Weenink has explained the logic around the sporting body's decision not to cut ties with the Afghanistan men's team. Photo / Photosport
“We know that that stance is actually supported by Afghani women cricketers.
“And we also know that the Taliban are actually anti the men’s cricket team playing. They would like nothing more than to see teams boycotting matches against the Afghanistan men’s team.”
NZC’s consultations included the Afghan women’s cricket team – which is based in Australia, featuring players who have fled Afghanistan - the ICC, the New Zealand Players’ Association and the New Zealand Government.
Weenink said “absolutely” it was a challenging stance for cricket officials, given the human rights abuses in Afghanistan.
“We don’t take this at all lightly.
“But by doing all the research, consulting widely, we believe we are doing more to help the Afghanistani people and the plight of Afghanistani women by continuing to be bringing their plight to light.
Afghanistan are set to play the Black Caps in a series next year, likely to be held in India or the UAE. Photo / Getty Images
“By just boycotting, there would be very little if anything achieved other than New Zealand Cricket boycotting playing Afghanistan.
“In fact, it would be the opposite and would be playing into the Taliban’s hands, whose desire is to completely suppress everything that is going on, and everything that is positive and associated with the Western world, including cricket.”
However, Kelly, who is a member of Wellington Cricket, told the Herald it was “appalling” that a New Zealand national team had sporting contacts with Afghanistan, given the treatment of half its population, and he was disappointed there had not been greater calls within New Zealand for a boycott.
While he loved his cricket, and didn’t “want to do any damage” to the game, he called on sports fans to start speaking out.
Former MP Graham Kelly – who is a cricket lover – says he is disgusted the Black Caps haven't boycotted Afghanistan.
“I was involved in the anti-apartheid movement for years and years, and you do have to take some action that is going to upset some people some of the time if you want to make change,” he said.
“And that means pricking their consciences.”
Weenink said he and NZC were acutely aware of what was happening in Afghanistan. He didn’t hold back about the reality of Taliban rule.
“They are a terrorist organisation who have taken over Afghanistan.
“I lived in the Middle East for a number of years, so I know the area extremely well. They are a terrorist organisation who are not recognised by any Government around the world, except possibly the Qataris.
“Their human rights record is horrendous. And I don’t think anyone would debate that.
“They weren’t elected to Government. They took over Afghanistan, the Afghanistan people have had their regime forced on them.”
In contrast, he said, Governments that ruled South Africa during apartheid were elected.
He added that NZC had no plans to invite the Afghanistan men’s team to New Zealand.
The highly anticipated #AFGvNZ Test match was called off without a ball being bowled due to persistent rains in Greater Noida.
The Black Caps – who will play India in the Champions Trophy final starting on Sunday night (NZT) – are scheduled to play Afghanistan in a series sometime next year, with the games expected to be played in India or the United Arab Emirates.
NZC said it was open to contact with an Afghanistan women’s team.
“We would be very pleased to host them at the appropriate time.”
NZC is no stranger in the professional era for calls to boycott some international links.
In 2005, New Zealand’s Parliament voted 110-10 in favour of NZC calling off a tour to Zimbabwe by the Black Caps.
AfghanAtalan fought hard, but it wasn't meant to be as the Kiwis chased down the 306-run target by 2 wickets.
Former Zimbabwe cricketer Henry Olonga travelled to New Zealand and met cricket bosses, urging them to cancel the tour in response to human rights abuses.
The controversial tour went ahead.
“That [what was occurring in Zimbabwe] pales into insignificance beside the treatment of women in Afghanistan,” Kelly said.
“The latest is, if a woman is heard singing in her own home from the street, they will go in and arrest them. How extreme can you get?”
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience.
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