Dear fellow UCSA Voters and more importantly all aspiring candidates. Thank you for joining the University of Canterbury Students Association general election discussion and this is the second time I have been called a “racist”.
Genuinely feel if I was a “racist” as you contend this position this would have been outed well before now in any of the 3 General Parliamentary elections that I contested for the New Zealand Labour Party (including last year against the latest Minister of Justice Hon Amy Adams). I am also a Life Member of the New Zealand Party. Even more succinctly behind the whistle and as a “touchie” in dozens of rugby league games and  “Onion” in rural predominantly Maori villages/towns. Even more specifically in the long comraderie sessions in the changing rooms afterwards as well. I helped the local league team train mid-week and my training hoody had the words “White Trash” across the front. Race wasn’t an issue it was about training hard enough to beat the surrounding villages. Some of these teams were gang teams and they do not mince their words. They are not politically correct.
These teams can be guttural, succinct and use as few as words as possible to get the messages across. If I was as you claim a “racist” the above venues would have exposed it I assure you. Particularly the dressing room after league where freedom of expression reigned supreme. Not to forget the after match function where I was a welcome guest.
My view below as an undecided voter was that I was simply asking the numerous candidates their viewpoint which is awaited at time of writing. This viewpoint of yours now gives the candidates the additional opportunity to espouse their views on the racism you contend you have encountered, particularly if it was here at “U C’’.
The closest I may have got to be a racist was like this and I let you and the fellow readers decide if this makes me a racist.
I turn up as the appointed referee for an enjoyable afternoon of the “beautiful game”. Sun shining, birds chirping and looking forward to some exercise, watching live sport at close range, seeing a few goals scored, a hot shower and to a couple of cold beers after the game. Like many New Zealanders I enjoy my weekend sport. Weekend sport is a tradition in Aotearoa. It is part of our culture and way of life. Looked at the home team of 10 players which had the same attire/uniform on and the goalkeeper was suitably attired/uniformed as he should be. He stood out from the balance of the team as he should do. Then as you do I looked at the visiting team of new New Zealanders and although the infield players were suitably attired/uniformed their goal keeper was not. His attire stood out too. When I asked him to change he advised his cultural and religious beliefs prevented him from doing so. He was not even prepared to put on football boots. He made assertions that he was being discriminated against by me etc etc. Upon reflection, and worried I would bring the N Z Labour Party into disrepute and possibly affect my career prospects I advised him using very carefully chosen words (I was tempted to be succinct) that I was going to the halfway line and blow the kick off whistle. If at that stage he was still of the view that his cultural and religious views/beliefs remained in place, (and that I was a racist) and were superior to those in the Association Football rule book I was going to blow the whistle again, call his Captain over and explain what was about to happen to his teams goalkeeper, and that he would be playing the remaining 89.9 minutes of the beautiful game with ten players. When the goalkeeper realised he was going to be standing behind the goal posts instead of between them, a sense of realism was witnessed. I returned to half way. When I turned around there was a flurry of attire/uniform activity whereas one attire was replaced with another and the game commenced. As it should be.
So if that makes me a “racist” so be it

If you still feel I am a racist then please can you and 120 of your supporters go to UBS on Campus put a pinga each on the counter and I will have a University of Canterbury hoodie emblazoned with the words “University of Canterbury Racist Law Student 2015” and wear it on campus. My other training hoodee is pukaru.
“No Nukes” U C Student Number 86829284 & undecided UCSA voter
p. s. I do predict the Wallabies will win handsomely this weekend. See we do have the freedom of expression.