The Wesley Way: Rugby star Sekope Kepu speaks out about school’s culture of violence | Q+A 2023

Moana Pasifika and Wallabies star Sekope Kepu speaks exclusively to Q+A contributor Indira Stewart about his contributions to the Royal Commission on Abuse in State Care, and what he experienced and witnessed while at Wesley College.
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[@rebelnz7837]

I just read this article. I was at the school roughly around the same time, as a day student. Got hidings frequently, mostly because I was small and white. Going to write my story and submit it. There’s so much that went on at that school that no one even knows. So sad it’s still happening.

[@notevenea8277]

Probably bcoz you were a Rebel

[@rebelnz7837]

@@notevenea8277 I was 12 years old at the time. I was and still am a nice person, easy to get along with. It was because bullying was seen as "cool".

[@Nounou1810]

Sorry to hear man 😔 absolutely no excuse to be beaten just because you’re white and smaller than the others. I truly hope your story gets heard and you heal from the trauma you faced at such a young age.

[@davidedward1519]

@@notevenea8277 lol funny…

[@Samoanqueen88]

@@notevenea8277 🤦‍♀️

[@FriedLdRz]

This school saved my life!!! No more fia Gangsta when i left Wesley, no more fia tough, answering back to my olds, and being disrespectful!! you get humbled!! It Wasn't as bad as they made it out to be

[@Nothingstutube]

Child arent just children, they are humans! Everything they go through follows them in life. Adults have a lot to answer for.

[@johnnymysky-eh5qo]

The abuse in Wesley didn't abolish, it just adapted. As an ex-student of wesley it's safe to say that the old ways of the school only modernized. I had friends who were bullied daily and even friends who were sexually assaulted by other students. The methods that were used in Sekopes day haven't changed, just evolved.

[@rahuitekiriharris]

That's scary cause you could say right now the children are becoming more violent at very young ages and when this sort of ciolence is inflicted on a young person they become unpredictably unstable and cause harm on others or themselves

[@1959tammy]

Bro u forgot to mention u were doing the exact same thing to us when you were senior.. hypocrite… wasn’t even remotely like that🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

[@callmeGSP]

Is this for real?

[@lorrainepasikala7771]

Dude forgot to mention he got the same beatings at home 😂 what a acting brand new guy ☠️

[@pangojack]

Blanket treatment: where they would throw a blanket over someone and bash him and the guy getting bashed wouldn't be able to say who bashed him because others would hold the blanket over him while punching him..and if he did know he was too scared to say something. The school prefects or dorm prefects would sometimes give the juniors especially if he did something wrong the 2 lines where you would have to try and make it through the middle of that line to the end...and he would be getting punched and bashed all the way through. I know what Sekope is talking about if someone made a noise at night while sleeping the dorm prefects got everyone up and we had to parade like an army. Or just stand there for hours...and if he the dorm prefect didnt want to stay up late he would just punch everyone in the head and say go to bed. I went there late 80s early 90s...so you grew up hard. Definitely the school of hard knocks. Theres too much to talk about really. But it became normal for us. When I told my family about the horrors of that school they wanted to pull me out of that school after my first year what we called back then 3rd form which is year 9 now. but I was like. Nah it's all good my mates are there.

[@kasaralaimani8777]

Omg 😢

[@lucan76]

Don't be sorry,just close your school down

[@RufioXC]

WC seems hard till you look at Tupou College 😅😅. But still look at them days as some of the best though 🎉

[@Redeemalives]

This has been going on for years at this school heard a lot of stories from victims. But sadly in most of our pacific culture this just slides under the table.

[@southyboy576]

My uncle played alongside Jonah Lomu in Wesley he went through alot of beatings and always outnumbered as he could hold his own he stood up for people that were sexually abused and assaulted so hidings were frequent for him just for trying to protect those who couldn't protect themselves so he naturally became a target by the way it's still happening in this new generation

[@Skybar23]

This isn't about a bullying issue...it's more about a pasifika 'old boys club' macho culture...when ever you get a group of pacifika males....there's is automatically a heirachy ...and it's usually ends up with an abuse of power higher up leading to bullying being normalized as a form of discipline. Pacifika parents, community leaders need to push hard and teach kids that this us not ok...I get a sense the problems at the NZ warriors is the main reason players leave the club after a short stint mainly because it's unconfortable

[@lavez3049]

It's not a pasifika issue, it's a Wesley culture issue. I went to a predominantly pasifika school and while there was the odd fight here and there, bullying wasn't tolerated by students especially senior students

[@anakinuzamakihatake5366]

It’s not a Pacifica Issue it’s a bullying issue period

[@haydnlovie3855]

Nah it's a man issue M a maori and went to maori boarding school And it happend there aswell We played Wesley in rugby they were tuff giant boys

[@jimmytuipulotu191]

This is a cultural issue that has been magnified by the trauma of the DAWN RAIDS in Aotearoa from the late sixties. The generational trauma and the impacts of these events on NZ born Pacific Islanders is evident across the board 💯.

[@HalaMoney]

Tradition never fades

[@unknown-ct2vr]

woods doesn’t even believe what he’s saying 😂

[@auramonroe6966]

This is beyond terrifying. I can only imagine the PSTD the bullied victims still posess even until today. Staff completely failed those poor kids, parents need to be thorough with their kids, if you see tell take signs like abrupt rage and anger, clearly something is not right. Off topic I knew that was Indira Moala from NZ Idol. Can't believe she's married. Huge fan here.

[@blueangel2717]

Use to hear the prefects and senior students give the juniors hidings

[@sadolce772]

Yo woods see me after this

[@doughlow2406]

Just cover the reporter too😂

[@althansaisoaa9582]

Pretty sad

[@djstylzali]

Shut the school down

[@menace.c]

G SME 1 CAVA CHRIS ASAP

[@notevenea8277]

Why or When is he going to name these attackers

[@dalerapata4016]

Hes one 😂😂😂😂

[@novesituipulotu6894]

say no more stay fefe Kas

[@freshoftheboat6742]

These seniors students think its ok to pick on tje new ones/younger ones . And this happens at alot ot schools. Fukn pmo

[@andrewtali8374]

😂😂😂

[@185metu]

yeo cover time 😂

[@Howsyafatherrrrr]

This explains and confirms a story of a promising rugby player that attended Wesley college and ended up at a mental health service

[@Skybar23]

It's a boarding religious school....why we acting all supprised about seniors bullying juniors and in a RUGBY school....this stuff was normal back then.

[@Nounou1810]

Latest incident was just last year tho? And even if it was “normal” it still does not make it okay

[@freshoftheboat6742]

I hope this teaches kids or anyone going thru any sort of this kind of situations to speak out rather than leave t til hw many yrs later.

[@BrinkersMad]

Doesn’t make it ok. They had incidents last year. Time for a change I reckon don’t u think

[@Erock1275]

Idk about the sexual abuse being normal 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@mariashelford-wirihana7164]

Bro in no way physically was this man sorry at all. His words are empty. ERO and board of Ed get Ur Kaka together and scrutinize these schools more better. Aw that's ryt it's corrupt

[@souveniehollande979]

It doesn't help that there is a clash of cultures due to the diverse demographic within the school. In some cultures, hazing is an accepted, and even expected, part of growing up, and thus, should be endured bravely. In other cultures, such as our liberal culture here in the western world, hazing - or anything remotely likened to assault against another individual - is unacceptable and, in many cases, can even constitute a criminal act.

[@youtubeenthussiast328]

This is just islander culture unfortunately

[@top5deadoralive746]

Heard this awhile back, older students touching the young 1s

[@YallNotWhite_YourPINK]

So kepu is a traitor and played for Australia 😂

[@callmeGSP]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@haydnlovie3855]

U could argue that this happens at every school but some not to this extend and some much more Tho I don't condone anything bad that may have happened Hard living creates Hard people

[@patrickwilson9783]

Not exactly true it either makes you hard or breaks you mentally

[@ibringtherain7669]

Ta ke elo😂