Latest news with #McCaw
Otago Daily Times
08-08-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Richie's reflections on adversity and resilience
Former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw says hard lessons he learned during his rugby career continue to guide him in his life in business and as a dad of three girls. The 148-test legend might have hung up his boots a decade ago, but the crowd packed into the Arrowtown Community Centre last week hung on his every word as he talked about leadership under pressure. Chatting with Queenstown realtor and international touch ref Richie Heap, McCaw also showed glimpses of the ruthlessness that made him one of the game's most feared and targeted players. Reflecting on the lessons he learned in rugby, particularly as the young captain of an ABs team beaten by France in the 2007 World Cup quarterfinal, he says that experience helped the team win the next two tournaments, but continues to be valuable in his own life. He believes his team wasn't prepared for the unique pressures of a World Cup in '07 and when they got behind on the scoreboard, the "fight or flight" instinct kicked in, and they started losing focus. In the rancorous post-tournament fallout, coaches and players realised they had to learn how to better deal with adversity — subsequently, they learned to embrace pressure to the point they "craved" to be tested by the opposition. A team once labelled as chokers started to win tough games consistently. "Those games you shouldn't win, you figure out a way of winning. And when you've got a team by the throat, you bury them." McCaw says when you're at the "pointy end" of any activity in life, there are consequences for making mistakes. The key is to acknowledge the pressure, and learn techniques for dealing with it — he believes fostering resilience in kids is crucial for the same reasons. "I think in society, that's sort of where we're lacking at the moment. "If we keep hearing it's someone else's fault, we'll never take responsibility for what we can do." Looking back on why he followed and trusted certain captains and coaches as a young player, he'd realised it was what they did, rather than what they said. Leaders needed to set standards, and consistently achieve them. "What you expect others to do, you need to do yourself." He believes the same applies to parenting. "If you don't want your kids to be on the phone, and you're on it all the time, what message is that sending?" Asked how he'd dealt with his retirement from rugby at the age of 34, he says he knew he wouldn't miss playing, but would miss the "anticipation, the nervousness" before he ran on to the field, and the challenge of trying to be better every day. He's helped fill that void, in part, by competing in the GODZONE adventure races — with four under his belt, McCaw says he finds the team dynamics and extreme mental challenge "intriguing". Besides giving him the motivation to keep fit, he gets the same feeling of nerves on the startline he used to get before a test match, he says.
National Post
20-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Canucks: The ownership chatter is not going away
Article content The Griffiths' ownership era plays different from the Aquilinis'. Frank Griffiths bought the team with a partner in 1974, but controlled the team until 1988 when he handed it to his son Arthur, who expanded the family's sports holdings to include the Grizzlies and build what is now Rogers Arena. But as everyone knows, between building the arena, paying a higher-than-expected expansion fee to the NBA, plus the sagging Canadian dollar, Arthur Griffiths had over-extended himself and started running short on cash. So entered Seattle billionaire John McCaw and, for a time, his brother Bruce. Article content They were supposed to be silent partners, providing a needed cash injection at a moment when the team needed one. But the project stayed big and so did the expenses. By 1997, it was all over for Griffiths, who sold his remaining shares to McCaw, who, as the story goes, never really wanted to own the Canucks and Grizzlies. Seven years later, McCaw began to offload what was then called Orca Bay to the Aquilinis, a now infamous transaction that blindsided Tom Gaglardi and Ryan Beedie, who had originally been negotiating with McCaw. Francesco Aquilini was the third member of their trio, but he left those talks and, it turned out, cut a deal of his own in 2004. Article content Article content The Aquilinis took full control of the Canucks in 2006. The early years of their ownership carried much hope, and for a time, the Canucks were a leading light in the NHL. Article content Since the heights of the 2011 season, the Canucks have been on a downward slide. Fans remember what those days were like. They want them back. And they have come to dream of a new reality. Article content Article content Could the Aquilinis really sell, as these perpetuals rumours pre-suppose? It's highly doubtful. The arena and its adjacent towers are a high-value proposition, ones that bring big value to the family. It's hard to imagine them moving on — and their denial of looking to sell makes sense. Article content The arena is a big profit-maker for them, even if the building is aging and needs repairs. Concerts are lucrative. The Canucks have been a money-printing machine at times as well, although an expensive machine even when times were good. The team's huge increase in value has tracked well with Luigi Aquilini's guiding philosophy: 'There's no money in the sell, only in the buy.' In other words, look for value when you buy something, play the long game, sit on it, and watch it appreciate in value. Article content
Otago Daily Times
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
McCaws support youth social media ban
Hāwea Flat's newest celebrity residents, the McCaw family, are rallying in support of a social media ban for youth. Former Black Stick Gemma McCaw and husband Richie McCaw are backing the B416 campaign as they run a tight ship in their own home when it comes to using technology. The campaign began as a way of validating the government's proposed Bill to restrict social media use for children under 16, following Australia's recently adopted legislation. Mrs McCaw gave a strong endorsement to the campaign this month when she attended the B416 launch in Auckland. She said as a mother of three young girls aged between 2 and 6years old, this was an issue close to her heart. For her, it was not just about banning social media for under-16s. She felt a fundamental shift was needed in the way technology was used in the home for both parents and children. "We can't tell our kids to get off their devices if we're not willing to do it ourselves. "... For Richie and I, we just want to be really intentional with our own use," she said. She believed the overuse of phones was contributing to a decline in people's mental health, and children needed extra protection. "It's just the unfiltered access on the internet that's really, really harmful, and that's kind of my worry," she said. Having moved to Hāwea Flat last year, Mrs McCaw said there was more opportunity to implement healthier choices for her children as there was a stronger sense of community and a plethora of outdoor activities. The proposed member's Bill would require social media companies to put a system in place designed to verify a user was over 16 years old. It is unclear what the verification process would look like or which platforms would be included in the ban, as the government works with Education Minister Erica Stanford to better direct the final Bill. Other members of the Hāwea and Wānaka community were equally supportive of the campaign. Hāwea parent Alex Walton said the campaign was important for parents who were struggling to manage their children's social media use. "It gives that reassurance to parents that we're all on the same page here ... It sparks that discussion around 'what measures are safe?' and 'what boundaries do we want to put in place?'," she said. One of the social media features Ms Walton was concerned about was youths seeing their friends on social media in real time. It created a sense of exclusion, as young people could see their friends taking part in activities they were not included in. Christchurch educator and founder of Little Kiwis Nature Play, Celia Hogan, gave a talk on Monday at the Wānaka Community Hub, exploring how smartphones could shape childhoods. As part of her organisation's work, she has held workshops on how to engage children outdoors and keep them safe online. "We've got increased mental health and wellbeing issues. We've got safety concerns on screens. And a lot of us parents didn't grow up with screens in that way." She was an advocate for not only B416 but also the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign, a movement that started last year. It was started by United Kingdom mothers Daisy Greenwell and Clare Fernyhough, who were passionate about delaying their children's smartphone use. This made its way to New Zealand and there are now ambassadors across the country helping raise awareness of the dangers associated with early smartphone use.
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
McCaw uplifts young rugby fans
He has lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy twice and more silverware than you can count, but bringing smiles to Wānaka's biggest rugby fans gives Richie McCaw a sky-high feeling. The former All Black captain was the pilot of a memorable flight for four of Wānaka's people with disabilities from the Mint Charitable Trust yesterday morning. McCaw flew All Blacks fans Eli Larose, 14, Ewan Little, 22, Lachlan Davison, 19, and Reuben Beston, 14, to the top of Coromandel Peak to chuck around a rugby ball at 1200m. "This is the first time I have done something like this with the helicopter," McCaw said. "With me being based down here now, they asked if I could come [and] take the team for a ride and I am more than happy to do that. "Over the years I have done a few things like this [charitable causes] to give people a smile. "It is amazing that with a little bit of a time out of your day, you can make a difference." McCaw and his wife Gemma, along with their three daughters, moved to Upper Clutha from Christchurch at the end of last year. Mr Davison said he had been in a helicopter before, but never with McCaw. He was a huge All Blacks fan and said it felt "pretty cool" to have him as his pilot. Reuben said he was excited to say hello to his biggest rugby hero, and new local celebrity. "I have seen him at the supermarket, but I have never said hi to him — I was too scared. "He is my favourite All Black." McCaw said he had not been flying as frequently as he would like, but would not mind getting back in the cockpit. "I have been doing a little bit less lately as I have been getting myself sorted down here. "I am keen to keep flying so I am still working that one out." He had taken his children in the helicopter a few times. "The first time I took them up they all fell asleep — the vibrations put them to sleep." Yesterday morning's flight was a rewarding one for everyone. "Whether you're flying or whatever, when kids get excited doing whatever it is, it's great. "There are obviously a couple of excited fellas here, and they love the Crusaders." He and the family were enjoying the change of pace and environment in the South. "We have holidayed here for a long time. "With all the outdoors ... the kids have a bit of space [and] it suits us well." The flight was organised by charity Uplift in Kind which aims to brings hope and joy to children and families facing illness or hardship by giving them the unforgettable experience of flight. With the support of aviation partner Wānaka Helicopters, the flight was all fee free for parents and children.
NZ Herald
06-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Bill McCaw, oldest living All Black, dies aged 97
His son John McCaw, also a loose forward, represented Canterbury from 1986-87. McCaw played in the famous 1953 test when Wales beat the All Blacks 13-8 in 1953 in Cardiff – the last time the Welsh tasted victory over New Zealand. He spoke about the match in an interview with the Herald in 2021. 'It's not such a good thing carrying that 'honour' of being in that team to lose to Wales – you can't get that one off your back. But it's still a big item of rugby history, isn't it? 'We always like to think we struck the Welsh at a time when they were at their peak with players like Bleddyn Williams and Ken Jones, and they had some pretty notable forwards too. 'Yes, it always gets thrown up at you – 'you were in that team which lost to Wales'. I just ignore it.' McCaw said he's often asked if he is related to a certain Richie McCaw. 'I tell people look, I'm not related to Richie, but I was the first McCaw All Black,' he said. Happy 90th Birthday to All Black #527 Bill McCaw. It was a thrill to take Bill and his family for a helicopter ride and picnic in the mountains yesterday. Posted by Richie McCaw on Friday 25 August 2017 'On my 90th birthday, my family took me out for a helicopter ride and of course who was the pilot but Richie. 'We all enjoyed it and he is such an easy guy to talk to, very down to earth. We didn't get into match specifics at all – his record is too overwhelming.'
