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Home / New Zealand

Flava campaign: Bullied for his mullet: From tears to cheers for boy hassled over his haircut

By Belinda Feek
Reporter·NZ Herald·
1 Aug, 2019 08:25 PM4 mins to read

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Daz & Ast's Mullet Movement Anthem. Video / Flava

Jamieson Waaka was proud of his mullet.

A confident kid, aged 13, he was inspired to get the eye-catching cut after a challenge from his uncle, his father Wiremu Waaka says.

However, about two weeks after the transformation, Waaka says his son's behaviour changed around the home and he began bullying his three other siblings.

Noticing the switch, he hit his son up about why he was being mean and picking on them.

It was then he discovered that Wiremu was being bullied at school because of his new hair style.

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"At home he was being a bit of a dick to his brothers and he was bullying them and I pulled him up and said 'what are you up to, man, what are you bullying your brothers for?'

"Who bullies you, you don't even get bullied. And he said 'yeah I do ... I'm getting bullied at school'."

Jamieson then broke down in tears in front of his father who was shocked at what had been happening.

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However, it just happened, that same day, about four weeks ago, Waaka said he had been listening to Flava FM talk about beginning a 'mullet movement'.

He told his son what the radio station were doing and that one day, others would want to copy him.

Auckland 13-year-old Jamieson Waaka with his two favourite breakfast hosts, Daz and Ast from Flava. Photo / Supplied
Auckland 13-year-old Jamieson Waaka with his two favourite breakfast hosts, Daz and Ast from Flava. Photo / Supplied

"From that he was content with himself and it really helped him get past the fact that he was getting bullied and it was a cool story."

The mullet movement was started and the Flava breakfast crew of Darryl-Mathew Suasua and Astley Nathan (Daz and Ast) created the song and then the infamous Mullet Anthem video, which by about two months later had clocked up 750,000 views and were aiming for more.

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After initially hearing them talk and thinking he should ring the station, he decided against it. However, the next day, he heard the team getting encouraged to make the most out of the campaign by focussing on a cause.

It was then Waaka decided to ring the announcers and explain what had happened to his son and suggested they should fundraise for a charity for those that are bullied.

While the parody - an ode to Kiwi mullets - proved a hit with thousands of fans, Jamieson's story really struck a chord with the DJs.

"To be honest, we really didn't see this one coming," Daz said.

Ast added that he felt bad they were having fun yet one of their fans was suffering because of his appearance.

"That's just wrong," he said.

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It got them talking about bullying and how wrong - and common - it was.

"When you find out one in two Kiwi kids are bullied at school and that 18 per cent of New Zealand kids are frequently victimised by bullies – it makes you stop and think. That's when we decided to find out how we could do something about it."

They've since teamed up with Youthline to launch 'Don't Attack', a campaign primarily aimed at raising awareness around bullying but also aiming to raise some funds for Youthline too.

The three-week campaign finishes today after a 12-hour fundraising effort to help raise money for Youthline. The campaign kicks off at 6am.

The hosts will also hand music programming duties over to audience members who can get their choice of music played on the show if they' donate to Flava's 'Don't Attack' cause.

FAMOUS MULLETS

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• Jack Goodhue, All Black

All Blacks centre Jack Goodhue shows off his mullet during a tackle against the Springboks at the weekend. Photo Mark Mitchell
All Blacks centre Jack Goodhue shows off his mullet during a tackle against the Springboks at the weekend. Photo Mark Mitchell

• Billy Ray Cyrus, country music star and father of Miley Cyrus

• Andre Agassi, tennis star

Tennis star Andre Agassi at Wimbledon in 1987. Photo /  Getty Images
Tennis star Andre Agassi at Wimbledon in 1987. Photo / Getty Images

• Ellen DeGeneres, comedian and television host

• Jason Eaton, former All Black

Former Hurricanes player Jason Eaton and his mullet at the Westpac Stadium in 2006. Photo / NZPA
Former Hurricanes player Jason Eaton and his mullet at the Westpac Stadium in 2006. Photo / NZPA

• Hulk Hogan, wrestling star

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• Patrick Swayze, actor

• John Daly, golfer

US golfer John Daly sporting a proud mullet as he tees off during the Masters in Shanghai in 2012. Photo / AP
US golfer John Daly sporting a proud mullet as he tees off during the Masters in Shanghai in 2012. Photo / AP
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