Dame Valerie Adams has criticised Tongan Education Minister Penisimani Fifita for his letter to Tongan High Schools calling for a ban of girls playing sports like rugby and boxing.
Fifita believes the sports go against Tongan cultural values.
New Zealand shot put champion Dame Valerie Adams called the actions from the Tongan minister as 'sexist'.
Dame Valerie, 33, said the issue is not a cultural one.
"I grew up in the Tongan community and I've lived in Tonga and this is just a whole lot of crap in my opinion," Dame Valerie told Newstalk ZB this morning.
“Why would you wanna kill someone's dreams of doing something good for their country?
"Last year I was in Tonga as a sports ambassador talking to the women's Tongan sevens team ... If this was a cultural issue, that should have been stopped a long time ago when they started the team up.
"I just think it's wrong on every level. Why would you wanna kill someone's dreams of doing something good for their country?" asked Dame Valerie.
"The women should have equal rights as men to do whatever they want, how they want especially when it comes to sport," she said on Newstalk ZB.
The letter from Fifita was posted on the So Tongan Facebook page – which has caused significant backlash.
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