Dame Farah Palmer (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato) and the NZ Māori Rugby Board have thrown their support behind Māori players expressing themselves “authentically”, including through haka.
As chair of the board that advocates on behalf of Māori rugby, Dame Farah in a statement on Friday evening said, “I want to express our tautoko and manaaki for Māori players who express their identity and passion through rugby.”
“..[W]e acknowledge the mana of tāne and wāhine who aspire to represent themselves authentically. Your mana is sacred and we stand with you. We also support the ongoing incorporation of Te Ao Māori in rugby contexts.
“As a Board we encourage those in Te Ao Rugby and Te Ao Māori to work together for mutual understanding and respect. In particular, we want our wāhine, who have faced many challenges for the right to play rugby, to continue striving to bring their whole selves to rugby. When this happens rugby and our people will thrive.”
Dame Farah said the board - which is affiliated to NZ Rugby and has voting rights at its AGMs - wants to work with NZR on the matter.
“We are also committed to working in partnership with NZ Rugby (and its stakeholders) to gain mutual understanding and appreciation of how Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and Te Ao Māori have been, and can continue to be, incorporated into rugby contexts”.
She said the NZR’s Strategy 2025 supports this kaupapa. It states:
“As an organisation we [NZR] strive to build our knowledge of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti principles, and at the same time gain a better understanding of why these are important to tangata whenua and Aotearoa. Only then can we truly champion a bicultural environment in rugby that creates deeper connections and genuine partnerships with whānau, hapū, and iwi for the betterment of our game, tangata whenua and Aotearoa NZ overall.”
Dame Farah said the board recognises the significance of haka and supports ongoing kōrero within rugby that’s “mana-enhancing”.
“Haka like ngeri, karanga, waiata and karakia are one of the many cultural expressions of Te Ao Māori that have been integrated into rugby contexts since the1800s. All of these expressions provoke thought, dialogue and often are a marker of events of the time. We acknowledge wāhine and tāne Māori who express their identity through haka in rugby contexts. We also support ongoing dialogue between players, coaches, management and leaders in rugby to understand each other’s perspectives and practices in a way that is mana-enhancing.”
She said wāhine Māori have raised awareness in rugby on numerous occasions - including through haka but also the first singing of the national anthem in te reo Māori at a rugby test match.
“There have been many occasions in New Zealand Rugby’s history where wāhine Māori have used cultural expressions to bring about awareness of issues and identity. In 1991, the NZ women’s rugby team performed the first haka by a national women’s team and they received criticism back home for doing so. Since then, wāhine in rugby regularly perform haka with passion.
“In 1999, Dame Hinewehi Mohi sung the National anthem in te reo Māori before an All Blacks match. She did this to express herself authentically, and ended up shedding light on the lack of priority for Te Reo Māori back home. Now we sing the National Anthem in te reo Māori without hesitation, and with pride.”
Dame Farah highlighted an instance where haka had personally helped her advance a rugby kaupapa on behalf of New Zealand.
“In 2018, when bidding to host the RWC 2021 (played in 2022), I, as part of the NZ Rugby bidding team, opened my pitch to World Rugby delegates, with a verse of the Black Ferns Haka (Uhia Mai) that referred to Hineahuone, Hinetītama and Hine-nui-te-pō.
“This was the best way I could express the ihi, wehi and wana (collection of emotions and energies) I had within me to win the hosting rights so that we could share the best of our culture and sport with the world.
“It worked, and in 2022, prior to the opening game of the tournament, the Black Ferns included karanga at the start of Uhia Mai to welcome one and all to our shores and fields in an authentic Te Ao Māori way. It was an unforgettable moment that embraced Te Ao Māori, mana wāhine, kotahitanga, manaakitanga, and taumatatanga.”