Just listening to the commentary on the women’s 'redneck' haka in the last day, I don't think people quite understand what this debate is really about.

This isn’t a debate about whether politicians just need to suck the criticism up, it isn’t about whether haka are supposed to be challenging.

This is a debate about money. Super Rugby is financially stuffed, and even more so the women’s side of it.

Did you see the crowd in the background of the footage of the haka?

That's right- there was no crowd, there were just empty yellow seats. That's not a good sign.

Super Rugby cannot afford to lose any more viewers or any sponsors from the game, and what the rugby bosses will probably be worried about more than anything right now is that there are viewers of the women’s game who are so annoyed by the politics of that team that they stop watching.

Or worse, that it infects opinions of the men’s Hurricanes team as well. Or even worse, that it taints their perception of New Zealand rugby altogether.

Also, they’ll be worried about the prospect that enough annoyed people will email sponsors demanding that they take a position.

More than any time I can think of, consumers on both sides of the woke debate are making their dollars talk.

For ages, there was a time where brands could get away with being a bit wokey for a bit of street cred.

But not anymore, particularly since the Bud Light debacle where the company used the transgender actor, provoked a backlash and then suffered a 25 percent fall in sales.

Consumers who don’t like the wokey stuff have started punishing brands for it. So quite rightly, the rugby bosses want to stay right out of politics and not annoy either side- and who can blame them?

And it’s worth pointing out, they are not taking a side here.

Three years ago, former Hurricanes shareholder Troy Bowker made some comments opposed to what he called the ‘left Māori agenda’ and he ended up having to sell his shares and step down as a director. So it's cutting both ways.

There is no indication yet of what those women in the team will do, but judging by the haka leader’s comments yesterday- there is a chance that they feel very righteous about this. And if they do, they to need get real.

They are clearly heavily subsidised by the men’s game at the moment, and if they want that to continue, if they want the money to keep coming in so they can keep playing their game, they’re gonna have to understand this isn’t about politics and having your say- it’s about money.

LISTEN ABOVE

Just listening to the commentary on the women’s 'redneck' haka in the last day, I don't think people quite understand what this debate is really about.
This isn’t a debate about whether politicians just need to suck the criticism up, it isn’t about whether haka are supposed to be challenging.
This is a debate about money. Super Rugby is financially stuffed, and even more so the women’s side of it.
Did you see the crowd in the background of the footage of the haka?
That's right- there was no crowd, there were just empty yellow seats. That's not a good sign.
Super Rugby cannot afford to lose any more viewers or any sponsors from the game, and what the rugby bosses will probably be worried about more than anything right now is that there are viewers of the women’s game who are so annoyed by the politics of that team that they stop watching.
Or worse, that it infects opinions of the men’s Hurricanes team as well. Or even worse, that it taints their perception of New Zealand rugby altogether.
Also, they’ll be worried about the prospect that enough annoyed people will email sponsors demanding that they take a position.
More than any time I can think of, consumers on both sides of the woke debate are making their dollars talk.
For ages, there was a time where brands could get away with being a bit wokey for a bit of street cred.
But not anymore, particularly since the Bud Light debacle where the company used the transgender actor, provoked a backlash and then suffered a 25 percent fall in sales.
Consumers who don’t like the wokey stuff have started punishing brands for it. So quite rightly, the rugby bosses want to stay right out of politics and not annoy either side- and who can blame them?
And it’s worth pointing out, they are not taking a side here.
Three years ago, former Hurricanes shareholder Troy Bowker made some comments opposed to what he called the ‘left Māori agenda’ and he ended up having to sell his shares and step down as a director. So it's cutting both ways.
There is no indication yet of what those women in the team will do, but judging by the haka leader’s comments yesterday- there is a chance that they feel very righteous about this. And if they do, they to need get real.
They are clearly heavily subsidised by the men’s game at the moment, and if they want that to continue, if they want the money to keep coming in so they can keep playing their game, they’re gonna have to understand this isn’t about politics and having your say- it’s about money.
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.