Unlock all articles by subscribing to this international offer

All Access Weekly

Herald Premium, Viva Premium, The Listener & BusinessDesk
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
See all offers
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Kahu

Christopher Luxon's Māori tribute to Joe Hawke under attack

By Stefan Dimitrof
Māori Television·
27 May, 2022 04:51 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Farewell at ?r?kei marae for Joe Hawke
Visitors arrived to ?r?kei marae today to acknowledge the life of Joe Hawke. Video / NZ Herald ...
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Autoplay in
      4
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      Visitors arrived to Ōrākei marae today to acknowledge the life of Joe Hawke. Video / NZ Herald
      NOW PLAYING • Farewell at ?r?kei marae for Joe Hawke
      Visitors arrived to ?r?kei marae today to acknowledge the life of Joe Hawke. Video / NZ Herald ...

      Originally published by Māori Television

      A Facebook tribute from Christopher Luxon mostly in Māori and dedicated to the late Joe Hawke has earned the National leader a backlash from disgruntled social media users, resulting in a tirade of anti-Māori, anti-te reo and full-blown conspiracy theorist racist remarks.

      Luxon's post started with a Māori tribute to Hawke and then an English part, which showed an appreciation for Hawke's life and his work.

      The Facebook tribute from Christopher Luxon.
      The Facebook tribute from Christopher Luxon.

      Eventually, the post started gaining support for Luxon's efforts in doing the right thing and showing respect to the well-known Māori advocate.

      Unlock all articles by subscribing to this international offer

      All Access Weekly

      Herald Premium, Viva Premium, The Listener & BusinessDesk
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      See all offers
      Already a subscriber? Sign in here
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Hazel Dunn said: "Thanks for posting in te reo, Good to see politicians embracing te reo".

      Albert Numanga said: "Kudos to you Christopher for showing respect to a much respected Māori Leader like Joe Hawke – time to shine Mr Luxon."

      Charles Williams said: "Kia Kaha Chris, Don't worry about the racists in here, most are getting on in age .... Hoping the next generation will be a bit better."

      The post was met by a large number of commenters objecting to the use of te reo Māori to remember a Māori leader who fought for Māori rights.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Maurice Fletcher said: "Really? Chris why are you also trying to placate the minority by talking Māori? Joe Hawke was not in any way great to a lot of New Zealanders."

      Craig Stace said: "Stop talking and pandering to a minority, you just lost my vote."

      Arthur Eagle said: "Speak English ffs (For F**k's Sake) so sick of Māori stuff."

      Cheryl McGinness said: "Please – English only – perhaps this once it is ok."

      The post has been up for almost 23 hours and has nearly 1000 comments.

      Luxon's office has been asked for comment on the post.

      Read More

      • Joe Hawke remembered at tangi as gracious, courageous ...
      • Joe Hawke was the face and mana behind the resurgence ...
      • Simon Wilson: They're burying Joe Hawke today - NZ ...
      • Takaparawhau occupation leader and activist Joe Hawke ...
      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from Kahu

      Kahu

      'Exemplar for the country': Historic iwi agreement reshapes water use

      09 Jul 09:14 PM
      New Zealand

      'Dying needlessly': Iwi monitors call for action on low cancer screening rates

      09 Jul 09:08 PM
      Kahu

      Wellington Opera brings historic tale of Rotorua soldier to life

      08 Jul 09:46 PM

      From early mornings to easy living

      sponsored
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Recommended for you
      Te Pāti Māori selects former broadcaster for Tāmaki Makaurau byelection
      Politics

      Te Pāti Māori selects former broadcaster for Tāmaki Makaurau byelection

      10 Jul 08:58 AM
      France overhaul squad for second All Blacks test
      All Blacks

      France overhaul squad for second All Blacks test

      10 Jul 08:13 AM
      Man sentenced for taking boy to secluded spot and photographing him without togs on
      New Zealand

      Man sentenced for taking boy to secluded spot and photographing him without togs on

      10 Jul 08:00 AM
      Inside the world’s swankiest ski hotels
      Travel

      Inside the world’s swankiest ski hotels

      10 Jul 08:00 AM
      State of emergency declared for Tasman region, severe weather warnings across NZ
      New Zealand

      State of emergency declared for Tasman region, severe weather warnings across NZ

      10 Jul 07:04 AM

      Latest from Kahu

      'Exemplar for the country': Historic iwi agreement reshapes water use

      'Exemplar for the country': Historic iwi agreement reshapes water use

      09 Jul 09:14 PM

      The partnership secures 60% of Rotorua's drinking water and returns ancestral land.

      'Dying needlessly': Iwi monitors call for action on low cancer screening rates

      'Dying needlessly': Iwi monitors call for action on low cancer screening rates

      09 Jul 09:08 PM
      Wellington Opera brings historic tale of Rotorua soldier to life

      Wellington Opera brings historic tale of Rotorua soldier to life

      08 Jul 09:46 PM
      Council reviewing court ruling on Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei dominance at Westhaven

      Council reviewing court ruling on Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei dominance at Westhaven

      07 Jul 11:22 PM
      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
      sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      Unlock all articles by subscribing to this international offer

      All Access Weekly

      Herald Premium, Viva Premium, The Listener & BusinessDesk
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      See all offers
      Already a subscriber? Sign in here
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search