The Kiwis' haka against Samoa was booed. Photo / Photosport
By Layla Bailey-McDowell of RNZ
It’s almost guaranteed rugby league’s Pacific Championships will always draw a crowd.
The competition kicked off in style last weekend in Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland, with both the Kiwis and the Kiwi Ferns taking wins over Toa Samoa at Go Media Stadium.
But amid the sea of blue flags, drums and singing, a different kōrero (discussion) has emerged; is it ever okay to boo the haka?
While the match was a celebration of Pacific pride, the reaction from some fans has sparked kōrero about cultural respect, rivalry and what happens when passion crosses the line.
Online, opinions have been split. Some call it “disrespectful” while others defend it as “just sporting banter”.
In Aotearoa, haka carries deep whakapapa interwoven into the fabric of the country. Its origins trace back to ātua Māori (gods) and tūpuna (ancestors) through ancient pūrākau (myths).
Dr Nicole Penetito-Hemara studied haka as a taonga within sport and previously told RNZ that before performing haka, it’s vital to understand its whakapapa, not only of the art form, but also of the specific haka and one’s own whakapapa.
New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) cultural advisor Ora Kihi said the Kiwis’ haka, Te Iwi Kiwi, was created to represent all who wear the black jersey – Māori, Pākehā and Pacific alike.
“We came up with the idea of building a house. Not a Māori house, not a Pākehā house, but a Kiwi house for all, so that all can belong,” Kihi said.
“Because not every player in the team is Māori or Pākehā. They come from Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, from England, from Laos.”
Lefaoali’i Associate Professor Dr Dion Enari works in the Ngā Wai a Te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research Centre at Unitec, focusing on Māori and Pacific representation, sport governance and cultural reclamation through sport.
He told RNZ sport has long been a site of cultural identity and expression for Māori and Pacific peoples, even within systems not designed for them.
“A lot of the sporting systems and structures we work within were made without us. They weren’t made for us to be in all levels of the structure, but merely as the athlete labour,” he said.
“Now, a lot of Māori and Pacific scholars and sport practitioners are working to re-correct those spaces, to make them more inclusive and ensure we have equitable representation.”
For Pacific peoples, Enari said, representing their culture through sport is an act of service to the collective.
“It’s far more than just a sport.” he said.
“For us, it’s an acknowledgement of whakapapa. It’s an acknowledgement of our ancestors.
“Many of our players were born and raised in New Zealand or Australia, but through the Sāmoan or Tongan blood they carry and the values instilled by their parents and grandparents, they choose to pay homage by playing for their blood-tie nations, the countries their blood runs through.”
Enari was at the game and said it was “disheartening” to see Māori booed in “their own house”.
“Irrespective of whether you were born here or not, we are all manuhiri unless you whakapapa Māori.”
While some of the booing may have come from misunderstanding, Enari said part of it was “just sheer rudeness”.
“Respect is received when respect is given. We wouldn’t want to see the siva tau booed. You can always support your own culture without belittling another.”
He said it’s important that people understand the difference between banter and takahi i te mana o te tangata (trampling a people’s mana).
“You can boo a bad call or a high tackle, but you can’t boo the realm of Tūmatauenga [the God of war and humans]. You cannot boo the sacredness of haka on the land it comes from.
“Booing people connecting to their whakapapa and opening the spiritual realm on their land, that’s tapu [sacred, prohibited].”
Enari said the incident should not undo the strong relationship Māori and Pacific people have built together.
“Māori and Pacific are family. As family, we’ve got to help each other out and stick together. This is Māori land, we should be supporting each other the best way we can.”
“This is a good learning opportunity for everyone, that [booing] is not okay, especially on Māori whenua.”
He said Pasifika and Māori are not only related but intertwined.
“Around one-fifth of Māori also whakapapa Pasifika. Acknowledging those intermarriages and having respect for one another is vital.”
Former Kiwis player Shaun Johnson aired his concerns about the incident on the Play On Sports Show podcast, saying the only “gripe” he had with the match was that the haka was booed.
Co-host Marc Peard said he did not find the booing offensive, and that it reflected the crowd’s passion and rivalry.
“Out of all the sports teams in this country, the Kiwis can handle being booed. It fires them up. If you boo them on their land, you’re doing exactly what you think you’re not.”
That view has been echoed by some fans online, who called the moment “pure banter” and part of the energy when “two proud nations face off.”
But Māori and Sāmoan voices say there’s a clear line between sporting rivalry and cultural disrespect.
For one creative who has both Samoan and Māori whakapapa, the booing was “triggering”.
Jordaan Tuitama (Waikato-Tainui, Sāmoa) known as Creative Taro, told RNZ it stirred up old wounds between both communities.
“It was triggering, because I have lived experience of both cultures ... and sometimes you have access to the not so cool parts of the culture as well,” he said.
He said the relationships between people of Te Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa runs deep.
“If you look at the timeline of Polynesian migration, Samoa was an epicentre for a lot of other Pacific cultures, so it just hurts a little more, knowing that this is our tuakana country.”
He acknowledged that some fans may have booed the siva tau too, Sāmoa’s traditional pre-match challenge, calling it disheartening “from both ends”.
“I think there’s a line. Sporting banter shouldn’t go above culture or respect for culture,” he said.
“Competition is wonderful, it’s the beauty of sport. You get to have banter, jokes, little digs, you get to be passionate, you’re allowed to. But you should be able to discern what is competition and what is culture and show respect to both.”
Tuitama believes dismissing the incident as “just banter” risks normalising disrespect.
“I liken it to saying casual racism in the workplace is okay. It’s not.”
Cultural ignorance can be fixed through learning, he said.
“The cool thing about sport is that it builds community, rugby league especially brings so many cultures together.
“Don’t let passion for your team winning overtake an appreciation for the beautiful cultures we get to participate in and enjoy.”
Matamata-based rugby league fan and Kiwi NRL Podcast host Lennie Brooky (Ngāpuhi) said the atmosphere at the game was electric, but the booing took away from the moment.
“When the booing started, my first reaction was, ‘oh, not again.’”
Brooky attended the Kiwis-Sāmoa game at Eden Park two years ago and said he heard booing of the haka then too.
“It didn’t make me angry, but I was definitely disappointed. As Māori, it was disheartening.
“What makes that moment special is when each team does their siva tau, sipi tau, or haka, and you can hear the whole thing. When people boo, it just takes away from that.”
While some have dismissed it as banter, Brooky said haka sits in a different space.
“That part of the game is a celebration of each culture doing their thing; the banter starts after that. There’s a tapu side to haka that people need to understand.
“If the Kiwis went to Sāmoa and were booed, that’d still be disrespectful, but at least that would be on Sāmoan whenua. Here in Aotearoa, it hits different.”
Brooky said the game featured some of the “best players in the world” and hoped more Kiwi and Kiwi Fern fans would show their support throughout the competition.
Looking ahead, Enari said sport could be a space for kotahitanga (unity) between Māori and Pacific people.
“I research this every day, it’s simple. We need more Māori and Pacific leaders in sporting governance roles.
“When we have more Māori and Pacific CEOs, board members, and decision-makers, then more of our mātauranga and knowledge can be implemented. Only then will sport truly be a space that’s for us and by us.”
In the next match-up of the Pacific Cup, Tonga will face off against Toa Samoa on Sunday 26 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
– RNZ