- Hurricanes women’s team criticized for controversial haka
- Haka called coalition government “redneck puppets”
- Hurricanes boss said club will officially apologize
The Hurricanes women’s Super Rugby team has come under fire for a controversial haka that heavily criticized the New Zealand government.
The rugby team, known as Poua, performed an altered haka before their season-opening match against the Chiefs Manawa team last weekend.
The haka included the words “karetao o te Kāwana kakiwhero”, which translate as “puppets of this peasant government”.
The haka also made reference to Toitu te Tiriti, a political movement that has spoken out against the coalition government’s policies on the Māori language – known as te reo Māori – and has perceived violations of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Hurricanes boss Avan Lee was unhappy with the haka and claimed the club would apologize to the coalition government.
“The Hurricanes shouldn’t make any political statements,” Lee said.
The Hurricanes women’s team has been criticized for performing a haka that criticized New Zealand politicians as “redneck puppets”.
Hurricanes boss Avan Lee says club would apologize to government
“If they do it, it needs to be agreed upon throughout the organization because we have players and staff who are not comfortable with what is being said.”
“Obviously there are players and staff who agree with this, but that’s not the important thing… they took us by surprise.”
“It’s inappropriate for us to make a political statement; whether they say ‘the government is great or it’s not great,’ that’s not our role.”
However, the rugby team’s haka leader, Leilani Perese, stands by the message and says she passed it on to team management before acting.
“I sent it to management at the last minute,” he told TVNZ.
‘They said, go ahead. We have your back 100 percent.’
New Zealand’s centre-right coalition government has pledged to undo the policies of previous governments, particularly some of those promoting the official use of the Maori language.
Many indigenous groups consider the measure undermines their rights and status.
The rugby team’s haka leader, Leilani Perese, defends the message of the haka (pictured, Hurricanes players warming up before the game against Chiefs Manawa)
“I believe in what we’re saying, I stand by it,” Perese said.
‘I think in rugby we have a platform where people watch and listen. And why not use our platform to show our people that we will never give up?
“To tell the government that we are stronger than ever and that we will never fall without a war.”
