July 28, 2022
Red faces over Juventus haka
A former Football Fern wants to see more guidance for sporting bodies and players on how to use Māori culture.
Footage has emerged Juventus, the Italian women’s champions, performing the haka, Ka Mate.
Kristy Hill, who’s now a player representative for the New Zealand Professional Footballers’ Association, says the team was taught it by a former member, Katie Rood from Whangarei, and it’s now part of their dressing room warm-up ritual.
She says Ms Rood now feels embarrassed and that she is the source of an offence to the haka’s owners, Ngāti Toa Rangatira.
Ms Hill says other players have reported similar concerns.
People have been asking national sporting organisations, Sport New Zealand, Ministry of Education, properly recognise the kaitiakitanga of those whose taonga it is and teach people and educate people and provide them with the tools to navigate through these things properly,” she says.
Kristy Hill says Ms Rood is considering whether she needs to make a formal apology to the people of Ngāti Toa.