Crossing the line or unapologetically Māori?

OPINION: At Waitangi Day pōwhiri, a haka led by Kiri Tamahere-Waititi became a flashpoint moments after MP Rāwiri Waititi delivered a speech aimed at reconciliation with Eru Kapa-Kingi.

The haka was ill-timed, it risked undermining the conciliatory tone of Waititi’s speech. Ngāti Hine chairman Pita Tipene labelled the moment “confusing,” saying it appeared to contradict Waititi’s efforts at constructive kōrero.

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Criticism focused on political conduct on the marae and the intersection of tikanga Māori with contemporary political tensions, particularly in an election year.

The haka was performed within a traditional ceremonial context and reflects tikanga Māori as expressed on the marae. Beyond politics, haka can embody emotion, assertion and whakapapa within Māori ceremonial life. Waititi later said haka on the marae is a sovereign Māori practice grounded in custom.

Speaking after the event, Tamahere-Waititi said the haka was driven by emotion, not media attention, and reflected a focus on reconciliation and future generations.

Eru Kapa-Kingi later said he was still processing the moment. He suggested the haka may have functioned as a form of challenge or engagement, and said tikanga should be received on its own terms rather than restrained.

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Tamahere-Waititi was accused of “crossing the line,” others saw the haka as unapologetically Māori.

Could ‘crossing the line’ be perceived as a good thing? Consider this. Whaea McClutchie “crossed the line” by no longer accepting that only a man could speak for her on her marae. She stood and spoke herself, taking a role traditionally reserved for men.

Image: Dame Naida Glavish, who stood firm in using “Kia ora” while working as a New Zealand Post Office toll operator despite complaints and threats to her role, later became a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. (File / Supplied)

Dame Naida Glavish “crossed the line” by standing firm in her right, as a toll operator for the New Zealand Post Office, to answer calls with “Kia ora”.

Despite complaints and the threat of demotion, she did not back down, and the Post Office eventually 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.

Image: Dame Tariana Turia, who left the Labour Party in opposition to the Foreshore and Seabed legislation and went on to co-found the Māori Party, was later appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. (File / Supplied)

Dame Tariana Turia also “crossed a political line” when she left the Labour Party in adamant opposition to the Foreshore and Seabed legislation in 2004. She went on to co-found the Māori Party and served a long and influential career in New Zealand politics. In 2018, she was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

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Did all of these women cross the line? Yes. Were they unapologetic? Yes. Their actions were politically contentious, but they exercised their cultural agency to express themselves with courage and conviction..

With the influence and association of such strong mana wahine around her, it is worth considering how Kiri Tamahere-Waititi responded in a moment shaped by the presence and political legacy of her husband, current MP Rāwiri Waititi, and her father, former MP John Tamihere.

Eru Kapa-Kingi, in his kōrero on Episode 239 of the Planting Seeds Podcast, acknowledged that, while confusing, the haka was her way of “processing and expressing … manawa wera … I would never try and dictate that … pai ana.”

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