Some things you read are so terrible, you think they must be made up, or a conspiracy of some sort. You think, ‘yeah, nah, must be April fools day, because it’s so ridiculous. When I tell people about what I’m going to discuss here, I always start the revelation by saying, ‘would you like to hear the terrible trivia of the day?’ The people inevitably say, ‘yes please’. I then follow up by saying, ‘I promise you this is true, because you couldn’t make it up!’

I’ll then ask them, “Do you what Zyklon B is?…..

They mostly don’t so I tell them it was the form of Cyanide the Nazi’s used to gas they Jews in the Holocaust, it was manufactured by the same company that also performed human experiments on Jews by giving them deadly diseases to test drugs on, nasty people. My audience of one or two, wherever I happen to be, looks at me horrified, wondering what’s going to come next.

“Do you know who made the cyanide and drugs used to murder and experiment on the Jews in the Holocaust?” They invariably don’t so I tell them. It’s the company that we know today as Bayer. You’ve most likely heard of Bayer.

Bayer also owns Monsanto, who some people have nicknamed Monsatan, or Mutanto, as Monsanto has an unbelievably toxic reputation for making things that give you cancer and numerous illnesses and deformities, like Glyphosate, which is banned in many countries. Monsanto also made 2,4,5T which was my dad’s herbicide of choice. It’s incredibly toxic and now banned in most countries, it was also used as a component of Agent Orange, the defoliant used by the US Military in the Vietnam War which still has lingering effects in those exposed to it even today. Monsanto is currently looking down the barrel of billions of dollars in lawsuits for giving people cancer on an industrial scale.

People are now looking at me aghast, still wondering where this is going.

“Do you know who owns Bayer and Monsanto, and a host of other companies that make things that give you cancer, kill bees, pollute the planet, poison waterways, and cause massive harm on a global scale?”

They don’t.

“Well, that would be INEOS, the worlds largest Petrochemical conglomerate.” Some people have heard vaguely of INEOS but can’t make a connection yet.

“Do you know why INEOS are in the news in New Zealand, somewhere you obviously haven’t seen yet?”

‘No, why?’

Pause for effect…..

They’re the new shorts and training jersey sponsor for the All Blacks and all NZ rugby teams from next year!!

The responses are invariably ones of disgust, horror, facial expressions of disdain, and surprise.

‘You’ve got to be shitting me? They will say.

‘That’s terrible”, they will say. Not one person I have told has thought this was anything other than a horrendous idea.

“Nah, come on, your shitting me right?”

Sadly not, it’s tough to make that stuff up, because it’s true. It’s appalling. Then I take my leave as they shake their heads.

Because it is appalling. INEOS are a terrible company for the All Blacks to be promoting and accepting Sponsorship from. It’s a toxic, cancerous association. In our house, we can no longer in good faith, support a team who have completely sold out. The All Blacks are the best known New Zealand brand off shore and this sends a terrible message to the world.

The reason it’s a terrible message if you like to have things explained, is because it flies directly counter to the way we promote ourselves as a country and how we are perceived by the outside world. Tourism New Zealand, the conveyors of our national brand to the world still use the campaign slogan ‘100% Pure New Zealand. New Zealand is regarded by most people overseas as some pristine paradise. You don’t have to scratch very far below the surface to discover this is patently untrue, but it’s still the message we use.

The idea of the All Blacks promoting the businesses of fossil fuel corporations, oil and gas exploration, giant petrochemical conglomerates and makers of cancer causing gases and chemicals should be an absolute anathema to anyone. That this has bypassed the ‘brains trust’ at the New Zealand Rugby Football Union is gobsmacking. It’s utterly appalling.

In other also terrible news, the new All Blacks shirt sponsor is Altrad, a large multinational conglomerate owned by a French Billionaire, who appear to be involved in the construction products, scaffolding and heavy industry maintenance sectors. They don’t even have a Wikipedia page. They have no footprint in New Zealand. They don’t even have an office in New Zealand. What do you reckon?

Meanwhile, have a look at just some of the nice things INEOS owned companies manufacture and sell. You decide how you feel about it.