Rugby: Collective of over 100 New Zealanders sign public letter denouncing controversial new All Blacks deal with Ineos

The All Blacks. Photo / Photosport

A non-partisan collective of over 100 Kiwis have written a public letter to New Zealand Rugby denouncing the All Blacks' new sponsorship deal with global petrochemical company Ineos.

NZ Rugby announced a six-year partnership with Ineos in July which will see the UK-based firm become the rugby governing body's "official performance partner" from 2022.

Ineos will appear on the back of the playing shorts and on the front of training jerseys of each of NZR's teams in black (the All Blacks, Black Ferns, All Blacks Sevens, Black Ferns Sevens, Māori All Blacks, All Blacks XV and All Blacks Under-20) from next year.

The public letter by Kiwis in Climate, a group of international and domestic Kiwis working in climate and related fields, called the Ineos deal "a backwards step for the All Blacks and New Zealand".

The letter was also co-signed by several notable New Zealanders, including former All Blacks Bob Burgess and Chris Laidlaw, Sir Bob Harvey, musician Neil Finn, Dame Anne Salmond, climate scientist Dave Frame, former Black Stick Emily Gaddum and Sophie Handford of Schools Strike 4 Climate.

The Kiwis in Climate collective said the deal was a missed opportunity to be a global leader, at odds with key values that usually set the All Blacks apart and suggested it "high tackles our Pacific neighbours" who are hit with the worst effects of climate change and carries significant reputational risk.

The collective has also offered its expertise to NZR to help design and define a strategy for achieving net zero CO2 emissions by a specified date in the future. NZ Rugby has signaled that it is open to a meeting with the collective.

Burgess, who played for the All Blacks from 1971 to 1973 and was a strong opponent of the national rugby team's tours of apartheid South Africa, said NZR is "putting itself on the wrong side of history".

"Not again. NZ Rugby is putting itself on the wrong side of history – and putting off potential supporters and players – with this deal with Ineos," Burgess said in a statement.

"It should be seen as a leader and not risking the falloff in interest in the game we saw in the 1980s when the NZRFU continued to play against apartheid South Africa."

However, he added that "it's great to see NZR is willing to meet Kiwis in Climate to discuss this issue in more detail".

Describing themselves as rugby fans at heart, the signatories pointed to extensive evidence that Ineos "is on the wrong side of the paddock and getting away with a series of professional fouls", which includes expansion of fossil fuel reliance and advocacy for fracking.

Despite Ineos' "substantial planned investments in green hydrogen", the group questioned the integrity of Ineos' plan for meeting its new 2050 carbon neutrality goal. It notes that much of Ineos' climate pledges amount to greenwashing.

The letter comes as the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference is set to begin in Glasgow, heralded as the biggest climate talks since the Paris Accords and billed as humanity's "last best chance" to keep the guardrail of 1.5°C in play.

"We've put this together, above all, because we're All Blacks fans," said Kiwis in Climate convenor John Lang. "Global leaders are gathering in Glasgow to address the global coordination problem from hell, something that requires leadership not just from government but also non-state actors and private players. Meanwhile, the All Blacks are gathering a few miles away having just signed with a fossil fuels major when countries like France and the Netherlands have just banned fossil fuel advertising. This is the tobacco story all over again.

"The All Blacks brand is synonymous with the New Zealand brand. The irony runs deep: they'll be wearing a recycled Adidas jersey, sponsored by Steinlager which promotes carbon zero beer, and soon to be adding INEOS, a private fossil fuel giant, to the black jersey.

"If you're confused by this branding decision, then so are we. If you believe it's wrong to sell out to a private company that's buying up the very assets the world has accepted must be left behind, then so do we."

NZR's deal with Ineos went ahead despite persistent lobbying by Greenpeace to axe the deal.

Ineos, which is majority owned by billionaire CEO James Ratcliffe, is an oil, gas and petrochemicals conglomerate headquartered in London.

According to Greenpeace, Ineos is one of only 20 companies responsible for half of single-use plastic items thrown away globally – and a significant player in the oil and gas sector.

Following the announcement of the deal, NZR boss Mark Robinson said: "Ineos will bring an innovative approach and dedication to the partnership with our Teams in Black, qualities we see across all aspects of their business, particularly around sustainability with their commitment to deliver a zero-carbon emission future in line with the Paris Agreement."