NZ Rugby Team Continues to Criticize Conservative Government Following Previous Conflict
The New Zealand Hurricanes Super Rugby women’s team, the Poua, has used a pre-game haka to once again challenge the conservative government, despite a warning from the franchise’s CEO over a previous incident.
Last week, the team changed the words of their ceremonial dance before their Super Rugby Aupiki season opener against the Chiefs Manawa to include the phrase, “Karetao o te Kāwana kakiwhero,” which translates to “puppets of this redneck government.”
“The Hurricanes shouldn’t be making any political statement,” he said.
The players were not employees but their collective agreement stated that there should be “no political statements … not bringing the game into disrepute,” he said.
The ongoing incident comes amidst efforts by the ACT Party, one of three parties in the current New Zealand government, advocating for a change in interpreting the Treaty of Waitangi.
The libertarian party has argued that the 1844 agreement has recently been interpreted as a “co-governance” framework between Maori and other races, leading to Indigenous people having their own laws and official positions separate from others.
The ACT is seeking to amend the laws to clarify that all New Zealanders should be governed under the same laws.
Leader Defended Earlier Haka
The rugby organization stated that the Poua would be apologizing to the government, but this was immediately contradicted by the team’s haka leader Leilani Perese.
“I believe in what we’re saying, I stand by it,” she said. “I believe that in rugby, we have a platform where people watch and listen. And why not use our platform to show our people we will never fold? To tell the government that we are stronger than ever, and we will never go down without a war.”
Before their game against Matatū on March 9, the team once again performed a haka that included a phrase in the Māori language targeting the government.
“New Zealand rise up! Here is Hurutearangi,” the haka said, translated to English. “Governments are temporary, the Treaty will endure. Poua will endure.”
On that occasion, Mr. Lee supported the team and adjusted the wording.
“We did not approve of some of the words used in the Poua haka last week and made that clear,” he said. “Players and management worked hard to understand different perspectives and acknowledge various views and opinions.
With the assistance of cultural advisors, the players amended their haka in a way the club was satisfied that it was respectful and true to the team.”
They also have the support of Head Coach Ngatai Walker, who said: “We understand there may be misinterpretation of individual words of this haka, but the intent of the meaning is, ‘Aotearoa unite, Hurutearangi (female god of the wind) has arrived; challenges may come and go, but we will endure.’”
Needs Interpretation, Māori Adviser Says
NZ Rugby Māori Chief Advisor Luke Crawford emphasized the importance of correctly interpreting the performance.
“The team has opted for a very Māori approach to the rewrite of the haka, therefore individual words within the haka are merely representative of a much deeper body of Māori knowledge, language, and thinking that are not easily decoded without the help of Pukenga Māori [experts].
“The haka reference to the government is actually part of shifting focus away from politics and towards things that empower, connect, unify, and motivate the team. Translating a single line of the haka in a way that weaponizes it against the team is frankly irresponsible.”
Deputy Prime Minister and New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters, who strongly criticized the team after the initial incident, once again took to social media to respond, stating that the Hurricanes franchise was “attempting to insult the government.”
“The Hurricanes may very well lose support and viewers because the CEO has a group of naive players damaging the brand by engaging in partisan political activism without any grasp of reality,” Mr. Peters remarked.
“They are trying to insult the government but are instead now just slapping the Hurricane brand and CEO in the face. Go woke go broke.”
