New Zealand's premier Māori cultural festival has become the centre of a fierce debate over racism and Indigenous political expression, after new translations revealed that haka performed at regional competitions included derogatory references targeting an Indian-born politician.
The kapa haka group Te Pae Kahurangi performed at the Tainui Regional Kapa Haka competition with a haka specifically aimed at Parmjeet Parmar, an ACT MP. According to Radio New Zealand, the performance included mockery of Indian cultural practices, mimicking the bindi and using an exaggerated Indian accent.
Anti-racism group PAPARA condemned the performance, characterising the Te Matatini stage as being "used as a racist weapon." The group has called for mandatory anti-racism standards for all performances at the festival, which showcases traditional Māori performing arts and draws thousands of participants and spectators.
Che Wilson, former president of Te Pāti Māori, defended the performance in a statement, arguing that "the haka is aimed specifically at Mrs Parmar and not the Indian community." The group later apologised for any offence to Indian people, while maintaining that haka traditionally employs denigration as a form of political expression.
But members of New Zealand's Indian community rejected that distinction. Activist Shaneel Lal and academic Dr Jessica Hutchings both expressed personal harm from the performance, with Dr Hutchings noting it "mocked our tikanga, our wairuatanga" - Māori concepts of custom and spirituality.
Mate, there's context here that matters. This controversy isn't happening in a vacuum. The current coalition government in Wellington has pursued policies that Māori advocates view as rolling back Indigenous rights - from revisiting Treaty of Waitangi principles to cutting funding for Māori health and education programmes.
Parmjeet Parmar, the target of the haka, represents ACT, a party that has been particularly vocal in opposing what it characterises as race-based policies. The party's leader, David Seymour, has championed a referendum on Treaty principles that Māori leaders say threatens the constitutional foundation of Indigenous-Crown relations.
Te Matatini's chief executive stated the organisation would review its processes to "ensure all performances consistently meet Broadcasting Standards Authority standards" - a pledge that itself raises questions about who determines the boundaries of Indigenous political expression.
The incident reveals deeper tensions in New Zealand, one of the few nations with a treaty-based relationship between Indigenous peoples and the state. How do you balance traditional forms of political protest - haka has always been confrontational, it's meant to intimidate and challenge - with legitimate concerns about racism toward other minority communities?
There's no easy answer. But what's clear is that as the coalition government pursues what it frames as "equality" policies, Māori communities are pushing back through every available platform - including the cultural stages that have always been spaces for political statement.
The question now is whether Te Matatini will impose new restrictions on political content, and what that might mean for the role of kapa haka as a vehicle for Indigenous protest. In a country where the Treaty of Waitangi is meant to guarantee Māori rights, even the haka stage has become contested ground.
