Lizzie Marvelly: Give All Blacks the edge: Bring a Pacific Islander or Māori into the coaching squad, says Sonny Bill Williams

Sonny Bill Williams (second from left) has suggested including a Pacific Islander or Māori in the coaching squad to 'get a lot more out of the Māori and Island boys'. Photo / Mark Mitchell

COMMENT

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to have a favourite All Black, but if I did, it would be Sonny Bill Williams. I admire him for his work and character both on and off the field. He has courage in his convictions, and he's not afraid to speak his mind; even when doing so generates considerable backlash.

This week at a press conference, Williams raised the issue of Māori and Pasifika representation in the All Blacks coaching team, saying, "One thing I would probably put to New Zealand Rugby is it would be good to see a Pacific Islander or Māori in the coaching system who would have a bit of influence because the way the game is going and is today, there's a lot of Māori and Island boys that play for the All Blacks."

"I'm just thinking how can we get a lot more out of those boys," he continued. "I know there's a bit of space there for that growth."

And, predictably, a number of New Zealanders lost their rags. Williams was swiftly accused of "identity politics" as many clamoured to protest that coaching positions must go to those who are best for the job. Which, it bears mentioning, has always been and always will be, subjective.

Obviously, any member of the All Blacks coaching squad has to be world-class. That's a prerequisite. The performance of the players and the team as a whole must be the coaches' first priority, and they have to know how to get the best out of their athletes. But what if there was another way to improve performance, develop champion players and win more games?

In response to Williams' suggestion, one social media dissenter posted, "What the heck does [race] have to do with it?" More than you might think. As Williams pointed out, there are a number of Māori and Pasifika players in the All Blacks. I can't speak for Williams, but I believe he was making the fairly reasonable point that there may be other forms of development and inspiration that could work better for those players than the status quo.

Increasing Māori representation isn't (or at least shouldn't be) just a box-ticking exercise to meet diversity and inclusion targets. It's a reflection of the fact that the Māori and Pākehā worlds are not one and the same. When you've grown up in Te Ao Pākehā (the Pākehā world), it can be hard to imagine that there's another New Zealand that's different to the one that you walk in. When you're Māori, however, unless you're completely out of contact with your iwi, you walk through life with one foot in each world. At any given time, the version of New Zealand that you experience depends on where you are and who you're with.

When you're at home with whānau, out at a Matariki celebration, or on the marae, you exist in Te Ao Māori. When you go to the service station, the Santa Parade or the pharmacy, you exist in Te Ao Pākehā. The kawa and tikanga (protocols and customs) in each world are different, and sometimes opposite. Being Māori in 2019 New Zealand means having a passport to both worlds, and trying to figure out your place in each.

The All Blacks coaching squad, Scott McLeod, Steve Hansen and Ian Foster. Photo / photosport.nz

In some sectors, the differences between the Māori and Pākehā worlds have been recognised. In health and education, for example, different frameworks and protocols are applied when working with tangata whenua. That's not because one framework is better or worse than the other, it's because, for Māori who are connected to their Māoritanga (and it is important to note that there are some Māori – particularly some who have become urbanised across successive generations – who are not), Māori structures and methods can create better outcomes.

I heard a good example of this during a recent talk given by Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft. One of Becroft's slides showed a graph of academic achievement measured against school decile. He pointed out a cluster of low decile schools that buck the trend when it comes to academic achievement. These schools, while dealing with all of issues that come with poverty, still achieve highly against the same measures as mainstream schools. What did they have in common? They were Māori medium schools teaching Māori children in a Māori way.

There are countless other examples. Dr Mason Durie's Te Whare Tapa Whā model, for example, is used to better conceptualise Māori health and wellbeing, rather than relying on the ill-fitting Western biomedical and biopsychosocial models. Rangatahi Court sittings are held on marae and follow Māori cultural processes, and have been shown to reduce reoffending.

Given that Māori methods and frameworks can bring about positive impacts for Māori people, might Williams' suggestion that "it would be good to see a Pacific Islander or Māori in the coaching system", in order to "get a lot more out of" Māori and Pasifika players not be so outlandish after all?

I doubt anyone is suggesting that the new coach of the All Blacks should be chosen simply because he is Māori or Pasifika, but with around half of the World Cup team being of Māori or Pacific Island descent, I think Williams has a point. If a member of the All Blacks' coaching squad (and let's remember, there's more than one coach guiding the team) was able to relate better to Māori and Pasifika players, and in turn improve their performance, surely that would be a positive.

This is not to say that our Māori and Pasifika players aren't already playing outstandingly. They are. Imagine, however, if they were even better than they are now. With international teams finally catching up to our long-standing world champion All Blacks, any opportunity to regain an edge should at least be considered.

Maybe Williams, who has lived and breathed All Blacks' culture for years, might have some valuable insights to share.