Sunday 1 February 2009

Quick hit: Josevata Rokocoko puts a smile on my dial

Surprised myself by finding something in the sports section at Stuff today, about top rugby players staying home to support their partners during birth:
The 25-year-old Rokocoko said in 2009 it was no longer an issue for a player to stay behind when he was expecting the birth of a child and the team's coach Pat Lam had fully supported the decisions made by Rokocoko, Kaino and Moa, even though it would hurt his team.

"One of the good qualities of Pat and this organisation is that families come first," Rokocoko said.

"He always says that's No 1 before anything with the team."
Rokocoko is really sweet about impending fatherhood in the article too. Awwww.

Of course under the Parental Leave and Employment Act all partners are entitled to two weeks of unpaid leave at the birth of their child, but I know many men (and no doubt some lesbian partners) get pressured not to take it (or can't afford to). It's nice to have a high profile story about men taking it and being encouraged to do so by their boss.

1 comment:

Anna said...

Apparently (well, if my partner is to be believed), this is an area in which rugby culture has come a long way in recent years.