Former senior sport executive starts new career in far right politics

Much travelled senior sporting executive David Moffett - who has been Chief Executive of the New Zealand Rugby Union, the National Rugby League, Sport England and the Welsh Rugby Union during his career - has entered New Zealand politics as a board member of the far right New Conservatives.

Moffett who is believed to hold both Australian and New Zealand nationalities, led New Zealand Rugby from 1996 to 2000 as the sport moved officially into the pay-for-play era.

He then headed the NRL from 1999 to 2001, before moving to the United Kingdom as Chief Executive of Sport England from 2001 to 2002 before leading the Welsh Rugby Union from 2002 until 2005.

A former rugby referee who became involved in rugby administration in NSW, he was one of the instigators of SANZAR which spawned the Super Rugby and Tri-Nations competitions.

While his current Wikipedia profile advises that "Moffett now lives in Sydney where he runs his own change management business, writes for newspapers and has a weekly radio spot on sports radio", Moffett's entry into New Zealand politics gained prominence before Christmas when he dubbed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters "traitors" for their support of the United Nations migration pact.

A report by New Zealand media outlet Stuff advised that Moffett holds populist right-wing positions on migration, climate change and gender politics, broadly consistent with policies that have propelled Donald Trump to the US Presidency, and seen far-right parties make significant electoral gains across Europe.

Moffett is reportedly troubled by the idea that New Zealand will be both targeted by people smugglers and become a destination for "plane loads" of violent rapists from East Africa.

By contrast, with Moffett having migrated between the UK, Kenya, Australia and New Zealand in his lifetime, he sees that skills-based migration is to be welcomed.

Image courtesy of David Moffett/Twitter.