Shane Jones to speak about the sport of politics

JULIA WADE

16 Jan, 2023

A well-known politician is booked to grace a local sports club in coming weeks as part of a series of fundraising dinners and guest speakers organised by a more recently crowned local political head.

Former New Zealand First list MP, Shane Jones, will appear at Mangawhai Golf Club on January 26 for the third gathering of The Liniment Club, which was founded by Kaipara’s new mayor Craig Jepson, months before the 2022 local body elections.

Established with the idea to give ‘light relief’ after the ongoing Covid restrictions and lockdowns, The Liniment Club focus is on all things sporty, an occasion for local sports lovers to hear the many experiences of noted sportspeople, as well as a chance to raise money for a chosen cause via gifted donations after the event.

Although previous speakers, former All Blacks Eric Rush, who spoke of his sports career, and Graham Mourie’s speech titled ‘The Evolution of the game of Rugby’ fit with the club’s design, Jones’ presentation appears to be based on a different type of arena according to the intriguing title, ‘The Sport of Politics’.

“Being an election year, I can see Shane being a great drawcard, I hear he is a very good presenter with plenty of intellect and humour,” Jepson says. “All donations will go to Te Whai Community Trust, an organisation which focuses on helping those in our community who are vulnerable, isolated and have needs that are not presently being met by the limited social services available. If we can fill the venue with 150 it will be a sizable donation.”

Former list MP Shane Jones will appear at the third gathering of ‘The Liniment Club’ to give his experience of being a player in a different type of sport – politics. PHOTO/FILE