Steve Tew Grilled Over Investigation

New Zealand Rugby CEO Steve Tew wants to see improvements in players education but says the truth from what happened during a recent Chiefs end of season function has been found.

The boss of New Zealand Rugby was on hand at FMG Stadium, Hamilton and spoke openly about the changes needed.

In light of the recent conclusion of an investigation into the Chiefs stripper scandal, Steve Tew has admitted that the organisation needs to improve in terms of it’s player culture, regarding the treatment of women.

“We are not where we want to be in terms of the culture of the game. Our attitudes toward women are important to us. We have spoken to Scarlet’s representatives, she wants the matter closed down and doesn’t want the police or us to revisit this”.

Experienced anti-sexual violence advocate Louise Nicholas will work alongside New Zealand rugby. Her role will be to help the organisation improve the education programs for players–especially as it pertains to women and sexual violence.

Tew believes that recent events involving Chiefs players provides evidence that this particular area leaves a lot to be desired. All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has already called for Mad Mondays to be ‘kicked to touch’.

With public opinion on high, it is Tew that felt the full wrath of New Zealand media this afternoon.

Media Seek Further Answers From New Zealand Rugby

Further allegations of incidents involving the Chiefs surfaced on Friday, but Tew says that the investigation into the incident has been effective.

If anything occurred that was illegal, Tew says that the police would have been contacted immediately. The second woman at the heart of the scandal says she is unhappy that she wasn’t contacted as part of New Zealand Rugby’s investigation. Tew apologized to the women at a media briefing this afternoon, but says that he didn’t know of her wish to be involved in the investigation.

Chiefs stripper scandal: Police want to speak to stripper again https://t.co/pKMCPfSTeu pic.twitter.com/VYReKDWyVn

— Stuff.co.nz News (@NZStuff) September 9, 2016

Plans are well underway for better training to be implemented for players, and for New Zealand Rugby as a whole. The training won’t just be about respect for women however. Race, religion, and sexual orientation are all going to be a part of the new training.

Tew says that the changes are vital and that everyone has lessons to learn from this saga;

“We are a reflection of the society in which we live. Our players are given an awful lot of support, and as I say we clearly aren’t getting it right so we will need to go back and revisit it”.

All Black players within the Chiefs squad are among those who were involved in the incidents. Those players weren’t dealt with in a different manner. The whole team were formally cautioned for their error in judgement.

Human Rights Leaders Slam Investigation

Some in the New Zealand public believe that no responsibility has been taken by anyone. That includes esteemed members of the establishment, Dame Susan Devoy and Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Dr Jackie Blue.

The biggest mistake that the players made on these occasions was to hire an exotic dancer in the first instance. New Zealand Rugby dealt with the matter internally, and some have claimed that the truth will never be found because of this.

You can listen to @JohnJCampbell's full interview with Steve Tew here: https://t.co/7tKCet82M6 pic.twitter.com/SaQkTYet5d

— Checkpoint (@CheckpointRNZ) September 9, 2016

Tew defends his decision to keep the investigation within the walls of New Zealand Rugby;

“These guys are our employees, so we dealt with this under employment law. The police chose not to follow this”.

Several players and teams do many great things in the community. The product shown on-field by the All Blacks is the payoff for that.

Tew is firm in his belief that the truth has been found in the investigation findings. New Zealand Rugby focused primarily on claims made on ‘live television’ against there players in the recent investigation. The employment cautions handed out to the Chiefs players are sufficient punishment [according to Tew]. But some people want to see more.