Listen Now: 
December 16, 2024
Parliament could face racism claims over haka
Gideon Porter
Posted On December 16, 2024
Download AudioTe Pāti Māori president John Tamihere says Parliament risks being accused of outright racism depending on how it addresses the haka incident led by Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, opposing the Treaty Principles Bill.
Ms Maipi-Clarke and three other Māori MPs have been referred to Parliament’s Privileges Committee for performing the haka.
However, Tamihere says the issue is about expressing oneself culturally appropriately.
Tamihere says since Te Reo Māori is an official language, Māori MPs already have the legal right to express themselves in their own language.
“And then secondly, it imports all our tikanga that must follow. You can’t leave our tikanga out and pretend that we’re purifying and sanitising it – and we leave everything else behind – that’s not how a language works. it’s not how a culture works,” says Tamihere.
John Tamihere says the Privileges Committee must handle the issue carefully to avoid accusations of monoculturalism and prejudice.
RELATED NEWS
