Ngāti Toa, a Maori iwi, or tribe, has sent a clear message to anti-vaccination groups asking them to stop using one of New Zealand’s best-known “haka” battle challenges, the “Ka Mate.”
In a statement quoted by Radio New Zealand, Dr Taku Parai of Pou Tikanga said “As descendants of Te Rauparaha, we insist that protesters stop using our taonga (heritage) immediately. We do not want our Tupunas (ancestors) or our iwi (tribe) to associate with their messages.”
Speaking as a representative of the tribe, Dr Parai said the Ngāti Toa does not support the message of vaccine sceptics, adding that the tribe has been proactive in Covid vaccination campaigns particularly because many of his ancestors died due to pandemics that beset the Ngāti Toa ever since the days of British colonization.
“Our message to the protesters who want to use Ka Mate is to use a different haka. We do not support the use of Ka Mate for this purpose,” he added.
“Ka Mate” gained popularity because it is regularly performed—with permission—by the New Zealand men’s national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks.
Anti-vaccine protesters have recently been using the “Ka Mate” in their demonstrations, and Brian Tamaki, who leads Destiny Church, is reportedly planning on teaching the haka to protesters in preparation for upcoming demonstrations.
Last month, the church leader pleaded not guilty to organising and attending an Auckland anti-lockdown protest, which took place on Oct 2 and involved around 1000 people, in breach of the country’s Covid-19 restrictions.
The leader, who hails from the Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Hikairo iwi, has been called upon by his tribe to ‘follow science’ in the fight against Covid-19 for the sake of the Maori.
While over 80 per cent of New Zealand’s population have already been vaccinated, only about half of the Maoris have been vaccinated, in part due to widespread misinformation.
The country has said it hopes to reopen when the vaccination rate reaches 90 per cent.
Auckland, the biggest city in New Zealand, has been fighting an outbreak of Delta variant cases since August. The country has had 8,860 infections and 34 deaths. /TISG
Read also: New Zealand drops ‘Covid zero’ goal after Delta outbreak
