Taiaha blow breaks British tourist's jaw during welcome

By BRIDGET CARTER and NATASHA HARRIS

A British tourist has a broken jaw and deep cuts to his face after being struck by a taiaha during a Maori welcome.

Kawakawa police sergeant Brian Swann said the man, on holiday from England, was struck in the head on Saturday about 1.25pm while watching a routine welcome on the Paihia wharf.

The powhiri was put on at the Bay of Islands town by King's Dolphin Cruises and Tours, which has now told taiaha performers to stop within 3m of spectators.

A Maori challenger swinging a 1m-long wooden taiaha stepped forward to avoid hitting people behind him, and instead struck the English visitor.

"When the guy does the challenge, he swings the taiaha over his head like a helicopter," Mr Swann said.

It was then he hit the Englishman on the mouth.

He was understood to have needed surgery and was taken to Whangarei Hospital with loose teeth, a broken jaw and deep cuts to his lip before being transferred to Middlemore Hospital yesterday afternoon.

Mr Swann said it sounded like the weekend incident was an accident because the performer who struck the tourist was experienced at delivering the Maori challenge.

But charges may follow investigations by police and Occupational Safety and Health.

King's Dolphin Cruises and Tours owner Gary Crapper said the Maori man who hit the tourist was "absolutely shattered".

Mr Crapper declined to name him.

"It's a little bit awkward commenting because it's culturally sensitive in the sense that once it [the challenge] starts it can't finish.

"He [the challenger] has done so many of them to slip up like that is just not in his nature - he is very professional and is very popular."

Mr Crapper said his challenger continued to perform after the tourist was hit, but it was "basically at the end".

The employee had worked for the company for six years and had done cultural performances in Japan and Hawaii, Mr Crapper said.

He had not been at work since the accident but was expected to return today.

A Ngati Whatua Runanga spokesperson, who was also of Ngapuhi descent, Tepania Kingi, said the taiaha was a dangerous weapon and traditionally used by a young warrior to find out another tribe's intentions on his home territory.

Once started, the challenge was supposed to carry on regardless, he said, although things may be different when performing it for show.

In cases where the weapon was being used for spectacle, it was important that people watched at a safe distance.

He said there was another case nearly three years ago where a person was struck by a taiaha.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said these sort of performances happened frequently and banning them was not an option.

The accident was "a rare thing".

Taiaha

* The taiaha is a two-handed fighting weapon that can be used in several offensive and defensive fighting forms.

* Traditionally the taiaha was part of the arsenal of the Maori warrior.

* Young children were trained from an early age to develop the necessary fitness, dexterity and agility to handle the weapon.