50 signatures reached
To: The All Blacks
A call to the All Blacks: You perform haka, will you stand up for it?
We are calling on the All Blacks to:
- Publicly Acknowledge the recent punishment of Māori Members of Parliament for performing haka in Parliament, and affirm that haka is a legitimate expression of Māori identity, protest and resistance both on and off the field.
- Stand in Solidarity by issuing a statement that supports the rightful use of haka by Māori to protect and uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
- Educate and Uplift: Use your platform to educate fans and the world about the whakapapa of Ka Mate and the political, cultural, and historical significance of haka; not just as performance, but as a birthright and a form of resistance.
Why is this important?
This is about the integrity of our culture, our right to protest, and the deep contradiction in how Māori identity is celebrated when it’s convenient, but suppressed when it’s powerful.
If I were explaining it to a friend, I’d say:
Bro, imagine our people being stood down in Parliament for doing haka, a sacred expression of who we are; during a time where it really counted!. Meanwhile, the All Blacks perform haka on the world stage, being celebrated and paid for it, that’s the same haka, that’s the same tikanga.
It hurts because it shows our culture is only palatable when it entertains, not when it resists, and if we don’t call that out, we’re letting the world think it’s okay to separate Māori culture from Māori struggle.
I care because haka is not just a performance, it’s protest, it’s whakapapa, it’s survival, it's Māori.
If we let it be used without context or conscience, we’re letting go of something sacred, I’m not okay with that. It hurts my heart as a Māori to hear the silence from the All Blacks, they have a responsibility under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and as kaihaka to use their privilege and speak up.
Bro, imagine our people being stood down in Parliament for doing haka, a sacred expression of who we are; during a time where it really counted!. Meanwhile, the All Blacks perform haka on the world stage, being celebrated and paid for it, that’s the same haka, that’s the same tikanga.
It hurts because it shows our culture is only palatable when it entertains, not when it resists, and if we don’t call that out, we’re letting the world think it’s okay to separate Māori culture from Māori struggle.
I care because haka is not just a performance, it’s protest, it’s whakapapa, it’s survival, it's Māori.
If we let it be used without context or conscience, we’re letting go of something sacred, I’m not okay with that. It hurts my heart as a Māori to hear the silence from the All Blacks, they have a responsibility under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and as kaihaka to use their privilege and speak up.