Former Maori & Junior All Black found guilty after SFO investigation

Former Junior & Maori All Black Matene Love pleaded guilty to one charge under Section 4 of the Secret Commissions Act back on September 21 last year. 

The reason why this charge, and his sentencing to six months' home detention, has only just surfaced is his father Sir Ngatata Love is currently up for similar charges.  

Love junior accepting a secret commission from the same developer linked to his old man who is about to stand trial for defrauding the iwi his once was the leader of. 

One presumes Matene no longer runs Maori business programme at Victoria University. 

During the same period of his SFO investigation Love Jnr was the Rugby Development Office at Palmerston North Boys High.   

Rugby Clubs and Schools love (pun intended) to laud the ‘exploits’ of their old-boys. 

I’m more than happy to ‘put up in lights’ Matene Love also has links to: Manawatu, N.Z Maoris, Wanganui and let’s not forget Palmerston North HSOB for good measure.  

They too can be proud.

(Alleged?) Thieving Maori All Black gets a second chance

Willie Ripia is a player who has donned the N.Z Maori jersey. 

Ripia ended-up at The Western Force in 2010 as part of a ‘foreign’ allocation Australian Rugby have that gives a pathway for overseas born players into The Wallabies.   

He was unceremoniously booted out of The Force at the beginning of 2012 after CCTV footage caught him flogging money from the wallets and kit bags of his own team mates!  

He denied the claims but couldn’t argue with the footage, said he had gambling issues.   

But who thinks ‘honesty and trust’ are necessary attributes of a professional rugby player?  

Last season Ripia was made the captain, of all things, of Bay of Plenty ITM team and now he’s got a Super 15 contract with The Highlanders.     

Thieving from your team-mates must be one of the lowest acts one can perpetrate, unless the sport is rugby where it’s clearly not an issue to anyone in N.Z.   

Ex Maori All Black jailed for stealing pokie grant money given to help Junior Rugby!

A former Maori All Black Lindsay Raki was sentenced today to two years and nine months in jail for stealing pokies grant money totalling more than $300,000. 

The intended recipients of the grants that ended up in his account were the Manurewa High School Rugby Academy and Counties Manukau Youth Development Inc. 

Both groups were set-up to promote Youth Rugby.  

Raki, an accountant, was the Academy's financial controller. 

Raki was described by the judge as: “A dishonest witness who has in part woven an account that might accord with some legitimate documentation he can produce, and then created documents after the event to fill in the gaps and back up his story.”

No mention has been made as to restitution, $300,000 is a hell of a lot of money to embezzle. 

With good behaviour he’ll be out in little over a year. 

I would consider a year in low security jail for $300,000 – wouldn’t you?