By Adam Ray
Mike Tyson's trip to New Zealand may be back on again after all. Willie Jackson's sticking his neck out to bring Tyson here, a day after the Life Education Trust – with its mascot Harold the Giraffe – rejected him
Tyson is a former heavyweight boxing champ but he's also a convicted rapist.
Mr Jackson, who heads the Urban Maori Authority, admits Tyson is “a bit of a mongrel” but says he is a reformed man who'll offer hope to many in South Auckland.
“He has been down a troubled path,” he says. “If he can inspire and support some of the things we're involved with, that would be great.”
Rape support groups say they are happy for men to be role models, but they're not happy to put Tyson up as one.
“What we should be saying is that regardless of how long it's been, you have done this and you shouldn't be allowed here and we shouldn't make exceptions just because people are famous,” says Rape Crisis spokeswoman Georgia Knowles.
Tyson's original visa was revoked yesterday after the Life Education Trust said one of its staff members was wrong to send a letter of support.
His promoter says he's visited more than a dozen countries since his release from prison.
If Tyson does make it here, his visit will last just 20 hours – long enough to raise plenty of money. His team is offering $60,000 to charity
“If they offered it, we'd take it,” says Mr Jackson, “but our support was conditional on him coming and delivering a message to South Auckland”.
Once submitted, the visa application will go to Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson. But she's just rejected Tyson after initially approving him, and Labour says it would be an unprecedented move for his visa to be granted again.
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