Drugs, bribes, body-image and Instagram: Rebecca Rolls lifts the lid on modern sport
Social media – an increasing source of pressure and public abuse for elite athletes and match officials – was yet to be invented, including Facebook, which was a decade
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Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Frosts enable ice rink to open
Eight-year-old Kace Haugh finds his feet at Fairlie's natural ice skating rink when it opened last weekend. PHOTO: ER IMAGING PHOTOGRAPHY Fairlie's natural ice skating rink was able to open three times in the past week, compared with last year's one-night-only opening. Ice rink spokeswoman Claire Dann said the ice was the best it had been in three years, after some decent frosts earlier in the week. "In great timing we could open for the weekend and everyone made the most of it." Ms Dann said all three sessions had a "great turnout", opening on Saturday morning and night, and Sunday morning. She said there were about 30 people at each session, including lots of children trying skating for the first time. Most of the ice skaters were locals who had learned about the rink being open via a Facebook page. "But some visitors were lucky enough to chance upon the rink and came in for a spontaneous skate." She said it was a "very fickle rink". "It's great wholesome local fun, when we can get it." Ms Dann said the area would need to see another long frost cycle for it to open again this year. She advised people to follow the Fairlie Ice Skating Rink Facebook page if they wanted to keep an eye on rink conditions. She was very thankful to the two main volunteers of the rink, Jim Allan and Simon Cassie. "They are currently the main drivers behind the rink, making sure the ice is looked after and opening up the facility when conditions are right."
NZ Herald
19-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Maama Ghee: How I went from crime and prison to a new life and the boxing ring
She now trains at the gym four days a week for two hours a session - and is about to compete in a boxing charity match for a cause dear to her heart, under her boxing name Maama Ghee. She did it for her three kids - aged 15, 13 and 3. 'I'm so proud of myself' she said. The big event These days, Maama Ghee gets around 7.6 million views a month on her Facebook Page, and 2.6 million likes per month on her Tik Tok. She posts material about her workouts, and her life. 'I want to set an example for those who lack confidence and find it hard to step out of their comfort zones,' she said. Kimi Parata working out at the gym as she prepares for her corporate boxing match. Parata (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Paoa) has dropped 40kg and bulked up for a corporate fight night in Pakuranga on August 30 in an effort to raise suicide awareness. She will fight Memz at the Ben Lamond Centre, someone she has never boxed against before. 'All I know is Memz follows me on Facebook,' Parata said. Social media influencer CWK Nix is her cousin and will be in her corner on fight night, she said. Parata hopes to raise awareness of suicide. 'I lost an ex-partner to suicide, and also family members, so it's close to my heart. Kimi Putere Parata is preparing to fight Memz, who she has never boxed against before, in an August match. 'The last I heard from [my ex] was when she was released from prison in 2023 and she passed away that same year. I used emotions I felt and put it into fitness, and I know she is proud of me.' The organiser of her upcoming fight is one of Parata's 70,000 Facebook followers, Junior Pati AKA Pitbull - a former champion boxer who runs promotional companies Pitbull Showdown and King of the South. A tough start in life Parata told the Herald she's motivated by her dysfunctional upbringing, which included abuse, loss, boarding schools and state care. 'When I was nine, I was hanging with street kids in the hood stealing and drinking, smoking weed,' she said. 'I was taken off my mother at ten, my father died when I was 11. 'I was in and out of juvenile prisons, Kingslea and Rolleston in Christchurch and I went through sexual abuse and rape throughout my life as a child. Kimi Putere Parata. 'I was the youngest on the streets as a prostitute on Manchester St when I was 12ish.' Between 2015 and 2021 Parata served prison time for aggravated robbery, kidnapping and causing grievous bodily harm, she said. She told the Herald she hasn't offended since 2021. Parata sees herself as a role model 'My goal is to just step in the ring and fight for light, fight for right, fight for our people and of course growth and healing within my own journey. 'I hope what I share helps our people across the globe ... I'm not perfect but I am on an amazing path to being my best self and do believe I can help others stuck in darkness or [who] may need to hear what I may share.' 'I will continue my fitness journey and boxing' She also wants to become a personal trainer for those who struggle to get out of the house and into a gym. Kimi Parata is on the undercard of this boxing event on August 30. And her dream is to start her own brand of clothing. 'I'm starting back up with my own merchandise brand Mamagheeghee clothing and also my own fitness logo DMC which means dedication motivational change. Which I created after I gave up meth,' Parata said. Mamaghee The Motivator is taking on Memz in a charity boxing fundraiser. Parata is fighting Memz on the undercard at the Ben Lamond Centre in Pakuranga on August 30. Joseph Los'e is an award winning journalist and joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los'e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.
RNZ News
10-07-2025
- RNZ News
Sport Integrity Commission fields hundreds of complaints in first year
Photo: timhester/123RF New Zealand's independent sports watchdog has fielded hundreds of complaints in its first year, many about bullying and abuse. The Sport Integrity Commission was established in July 2024, after a decade of damning reviews exposed serious gaps in how high performance sport addressed athlete welfare and integrity concerns. Among the commission's core roles is providing impartial resolution of complaints and disputes. The agency also has the power to investigate sports bodies in cases of "complex or systemic threats to integrity". According to figures released under the Official Information Act, the commission received 283 complaints in the year to 30 June 2025, across 70 sports and recreation organisations. Of those, 73 complaints remain active, while 210 have been resolved. In 45 cases, the issues raised were found to fall outside the commission's scope. Te Kahu Raunui chief executive Rebecca Rolls told RNZ the volume of complaints was slightly higher than early predictions. "When we were trying to figure out what we needed to build inhouse, we had to do a bit of modelling," Rolls said. "Some of that was based on the numbers that the [Sport and Recreation Complaints and Mediation Service], which was funded by Sport NZ, had been receiving. "Then we had to factor in our legislation and how that affected scope, so I guess [the increase] is not unexpected. The numbers continue to rise gradually, but we're not seeing a steep climb." The most commonly reported threats to integrity were matters that fall under section 5(d) of the Integrity Sport and Recreation Act 2023, including abuse, bullying, harassment, intimidation, violence and sexual misconduct. "I think what that means is that people are having poor experiences based on other people's behaviour, which is disappointing," Rolls said. "However, it doesn't surprise us that that's where most of them sit, as that section of our legislation does cover off quite a broad set of behaviours and there's a lot of things that fall under that definition." Sport Integrity Commission chief executive Rebecca Rolls is a former cricket and football international. Photo: Supplied The commission declined to name which sports bodies had drawn the most complaints or even identify the highest number of complaints any one organisation had received, but its data showed 97 - or 33 per cent - related to elite-level sport. Rolls said this also represented an increase on early modelling. "Looking at the numbers previously, it was around one quarter elite sport, and three quarters at the community or grassroots end, so that is a bit of a shift. It is probably too early to say if that's a part of a bigger statistical trend or just where things have landed in the first year." The agency also declined to provide information on how complaints had led to a formal investigation being launched, citing a requirement to "protect information, which is subject to an obligation of confidence". However, at least one major inquiry is underway. As first reported by RNZ, the commission launched an investigation into Yachting NZ late last year , after a raft of cultural, athlete welfare and conduct complaints . That probe - initiated under section 32 of the act - is considered the first high-profile test of the agency's powers and is being closely watched across the sector. A former football and cricket international, Rolls said the public spotlight had not changed how her agency approached its work. "I think we would feel the same amount of pressure to get something resolved, whether it was in the media or not," she said. "I think, for any [sports] organisation, we have to be really mindful of what it means for them to be going through a process, whether it's one that's happening now or one that happens in the future - that's an important consideration for us." She declined to comment on the current status of the Yachting NZ investigation. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
