At the Waitangi Day pōwhiri last weekend, following the speech of MP Rāwiri Waititi, which was an attempt at reconciliation with Eru Kapa-Kingi, a haka led by Kiri Tamihere-Waititi became a flashpoint.
Some Ngāpuhi leaders described the haka as ill-timed, and it may have undermined the tone of the speaker’s comments. Pita Tipene, chairman of Ngāti Hine, called the haka ‘confusing’, saying it appeared to contradict the conciliatory words of MP Rāwiri Waititi and his efforts at constructive korero.
Critiques were about political conduct on the marae and how tikanga interacts with contemporary political conflict – especially in an election year.
The haka was a valid expression of tikanga Māori, performed within a traditional ceremonial context. It is not only a political gesture but a culturally grounded response within the space of a pōwhiri, intended to embody emotion, assertion and whakapapa in Māori political life. As Rāwiri Waititi himself later explained, performing haka on the marae is a sovereign Māori practice embedded within custom. I myself grew up knowing this, although I have rarely seen it acted out in public like this.
In remarks reported after the event, Tamihere-Waititi said the moment was driven by emotion rather than media soundbites, and spoke about prioritising reconciliation and the mokopuna of future generations.
Eru Kapa-Kingi himself spoke afterwards about trying to process what happened. He suggests that the haka might have functioned like a non-traditional hongi or challenge. He emphasised that tikanga isn’t to be hidden and must be received on its own terms.
Social media has blown up criticising Kiri’s actions as ‘crossing the line’. However, it is my choice here to consider framing the haka in another light, and that is as being ‘unapologetically Māori’. This also is in line with the Party’s logo and campaign motto, which perhaps the Party might also consider to be reminded.
Couldn’t ‘crossing the line’ be perceived as a good thing? Let me explain. Whaea McClutchie ‘crossed the line’ by no longer accepting that only a man speaks for her on her marae, and she stood herself, taking the role usually reserved for men only. Dame Naida Glavish ‘crossed the line’ for standing firm on her right, as a toll operator for the New Zealand Post Office, to answer calls with “Kia ora”. Despite complaints and potential demotion, she did not back down, and the Post Office reversed its stance. Today, she holds the appointment of Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) for services to Māori and the community.
Dame Tariana Turia ‘crossed the floor’, leaving the Labour Party, in an adamant opposition to the Foreshore and Seabed legislation 2004. She co-founded The Māori Party, having served a long and influential career in New Zealand politics and was awarded Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2018.
Did all of these ladies cross the line? Yes. Were they unapologetic? Yes. Their actions were politically contentious, but they used their cultural agency to express themselves in a way only a Māori woman of courage and integrity could.
With the influence and association of such strong mana wahine around her, how else could Kiri Tamihere-Waititi have responded to all that surrounds her husband, current MP Rawiri Waititi and her father, former MP John Tamihere? Eru Kapa-Kingi, in his kōrero on Episode 239 of the Planting Seeds Podcast, acknowledges that, while confusing, the haka of Kiri Tamihere-Waititi was her way of “processing and expressing … manawa wera … I would never try and dictate that … pai ana.”
