11 October 2012
Minister Should Say ‘No’ to Tyson Again.
The Tertiary Women's Focus Group (TWFG) implores the Associate Immigration Minister Hon. Kate Wilkinson to decline the
second application of Mike Tyson to enter the country.
Ta’ase Vaoga, TWFG spokesperson, calls on the Minister to reject the application and not follow Australia’s lead of
accepting Tyson’s application for touring purposes.
"The Minister should carefully consider the value that the visit will add to New Zealand. I should think there isn’t
any, and that this is a no brainer She should decline the application," Vaoga says.
"Tyson represents everything about rape culture and misogyny that women across the globe are fighting on a daily basis.
This is not OK, and the Minister should take a stand against it" Vaoga continues.
"It is abhorrent to think that anyone would endorse Tyson's application to come to New Zealand - surely there are more
respectable role models we can expose our young people to right here in New Zealand" Vaoga ends.
Currently, one in four women will experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetime. The average age of victims
is 18-30 years, the same demographic of the majority of Tertiary students.
The TWFG is the autonomous women's organising group within the New Zealand Union of Students' Associations, the national
representative body for tertiary students.
ENDS