Minister Chris Bishop has backtracked on the remarks he made after watching Stan Walker’s performance of Māori ki te Ao at the Aotearoa Music Awards in Tāmaki Makaurau on Thursday night.
Earlier in the evening, Walker’s single Māori ki te Ao won the Te Māngai Pāho Mana Reo Award. He later returned to the stage for a powerful performance alongside Toitū Te Tiriti, led by a group of rangatahi, in a moment that blended music with a clear message of Māori pride, language, and political identity.
However, despite a captivated crowd, not everyone was impressed with the performance, with onlooking Minister Chris Bishop shaking his head describing it as ‘performative acclaim’ and ‘load of crap.’
In a video sent to Te Ao Māori News, you can see Minister Bishop’s response at the end of the performance. The woman who took the video described his behaviour as uncouth and having no care for the people around him. There were also allegations of smashed wine glasses during the evening.
In a statement, Mr Bishop said, “What I said was something to the effect of, ‘Performative acclaim. What a load of crap’ referring to the overtly political branding on display.
“On reflection, I should’ve kept my thoughts to myself,” he said.
In response to the smashed glasses, the statement says there was a glass on the concrete floor which he didn’t spot in the dark and accidentally stepped on it with his foot, causing it to break.
The reference to the political branding was pointing to the Toitū Te Tiriti flags and signs, which led and were prominent during the historic and record number Hikoi to Parliament in November 2024. There were also Tino Rangatiratanga and He Whakaputanga flags on stage.
In the lead up to the Aotearoa Music Awards Stan Walker contacted Toitū te Tiriti to ask if they would stand with him to bring the kaupapa to the awards. They agreed and asked if rangatahi could lead their presence in the performance.
“We ain’t going anywhere”
Māngai of Toitū te Tiriti, Eru Kapa-Kingi, says Chris Bishop’s reaction to Stan Walker’s powerful performance at the AMA’s is on brand with the typical fragility the parties of this government have shown when faced with undeniable displays of rangatiratanga Māori.
“He and his counterparts are clearly struggling to come to grips with the reality that Māori are everywhere, and wherever we stand, our mana stands with us. We ain’t going anywhere, and nor are we afraid to use our platforms for the kaupapa.” Kapa-Kingi said.
The political discourse around te Tiriti and te reo Māori were themes throughout the night, with international acclaimed Lorde, who won best single on the night, using her acceptance speech to remind people of the fight for te reo Māori and asking the crowd, “Are we going to honour the Treaty or what?”
