Dr Jessica Hutchings, a researcher, author and activist who has Māori and Indian whakapapa, is calling out what she describes as racist and misogynistic rhetoric targeting Indian communities, following backlash over a recent haka and political comments.
It follows a haka by the Te Pae Kahurangi group at the Tainui Regionals over the weekend, which was intended to target ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar but has drawn criticism for using gestures referencing Indian cultural practices, including hands in a prayer position, sitting cross-legged, and what sounded like words mimicking an Indian accent, along with head movements.
The group has since said in a statement it “does not condone racism” and apologising for any offence caused to the Indian community.
For Dr Jessica Hutchings, the haka represented more than political debate and says it crossed a line into racism and misogyny.
“Kei te hē rātou,” she says. “It was deeply offensive.”
Hutchings, who has whakapapa to Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Huirapa, Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe and Ngāi Tūhoe, alongside Gujarati-Indian heritage through her mother, says the haka may have been framed as targeting an individual, but its execution had wider impacts.
“They mocked my culture. They mocked our tikanga, our wairuatanga… that’s racism, and it’s really important that we call it out.”
She says the harm is particularly acute for those who carry multiple identities.
“Ehara i te mea he Māori anake tātou. Some of us are mixed race, and we carry that proudly. When something like this happens, it harms all parts of who we are.”
The haka has been defended in some quarters as artistic expression within kapa haka, where performance can be used to provoke and challenge. But Hutchings rejects that framing in this case.
“I experienced it as misogyny directed towards an Indian woman, and as racism towards my whakapapa and my community,” she says.
“There can be all the justification in the world, but harm was caused. To me and to my whānau.”
In a fuller statement, Te Pae Kahurangi says the haka was composed to respond to political actions by Parmar, including her stance on haka performed in Parliament and criticism of Māori-focused spaces at the University of Auckland.
That includes her criticism of haka performed by Māori MPs in Parliament, and her proposed legislation aimed at removing what she has described as “race-based” policies in universities, including programmes, scholarships and dedicated Māori and Pasifika spaces.
“Haka is a platform to challenge and, where relevant, denigrate in response to an issue,” the statement says.
The group maintains the haka was directed at Parmar, not the wider Indian community.
“Te Pae Kahurangi regards these actions as clear examples of prejudice towards Māori culture, and as such, the haka is aimed specifically at Mrs Parmar and not the Indian community.”
They reiterate they do not condone racism and apologise for the offence caused.
“Te Pae Kahurangi apologises for any offence caused to the Indian community, towards whom this haka was not directed.”
However, Hutchings says that distinction does not lessen the impact.
“When the oppressed becomes the oppressor, we end up doing the work of the coloniser,” she says.
“We can’t take racism into our fight for Te Tiriti rights.”
The debate has been amplified online, with Hutchings’ response gaining tens of thousands of views.
But she says that visibility also risks normalising harmful rhetoric.
Politicians respond
Co-leader of the Green Party, Marama Davidson, says while she did not see the haka, the wider issue is the impact of government actions on Te Tiriti.
“Kāore au i te kite i tana haka,” she says, “engari ki ahau ko te mea nui nā tēnei kāwanatanga i patu i te Tiriti.”
She says while anger is understandable, racism is not the answer.
“Kaua e kaikiri ki a wai… kāore ko te kaikiri ki te hapori Iniana te rongoā.”
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, who has faced his own criticism for his comments saying that there is a ‘butter chicken tsunami’, defended the haka as part of Māori expression.
“Kite au i tēnā haka, he whakapātari i te mema o te Pākehā nē,” he says, describing it as part of Māori culture.
ACT leader David Seymour criticised the performance.
“Māori culture should not be used as a cloak for racism and intolerance. That’s an abuse of Māori culture… they should be embarrassed.”
Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka declined to make a firm judgment, saying he had not fully understood the haka at the time when watching it and hasn’t since read or watched it again.
“Kāore au i te tino mōhio he aha ngā hua me ngā raruraru e puta mai ana i taua haka,” he says.
“Kāore au i uru atu ki ngā kōrero me ngā rārangi waiata, ngā rārangi mōteatea o te haka.”
He acknowledged the hurt expressed by some, but stopped short of endorsing that characterisation.
“Ehara au i te tangata ka whakakore i ngā kare ā-roto o ētahi atu.”
“I didn’t catch all the words and understand the haka when I saw it, so it’s a bit premature for me to comment.”
When pressed, though, to make a judgment on the response and criticism, he reiterated that he didn’t fully grasp its meaning.
“Sometimes when you attend Te Matatini and other kapa haka events, you don’t necessarily grab all the words.”
“I’m not going to take away how people feel; people might feel that way, but I didn’t fully read the words or the concepts behind it.”
Not about the apology
Hutchings says apologies that focus on offence rather than harm fall short.
“If you know it’s going to cause harm, don’t say it. Don’t perform it,” she says.
She describes the week as a “double whammy”, with both the haka and political rhetoric contributing to a sense of othering for Indian communities in Aotearoa.
She is not asking for an apology, but instead deep reflection and wānanga.
“I’m not interested in engaging with what I saw as an extremely misogynistic performance,” she says.
“But I would ask people to take a deep look inside themselves… because change starts from the heart.”
The haka has since been removed from Whakaata Māori’s Māori+ App.
A Whakaata Māori spokesperson said in a statement as a broadcaster, Whakaata Māori has a responsibility to uphold that expression while ensuring content shared on our platforms meets the standards expected of us.
“Following concerns raised by Te Matatini regarding the Te Pae Kahurangi performance at the Tainui Haka Regionals 2026, we undertook a review of the broadcast content against our editorial processes and the Broadcasting Standards Authority requirements, including Standard 4 relating to social responsibility.” The statement said.
Whakaata Māori said while the intent of the performance may have been to express a particular viewpoint, some elements were assessed as having the potential to be interpreted in ways that could cause offence or concern for audiences.
“On that basis, the original live media file was removed from MĀORI+, and the specific performance has been taken out prior to republishing.”
