Louisa Wall: Haka means medals so ... bring it on

There has been much debate this week about the use of and modification of the haka and the merit or otherwise of specific codes making up their own actions to accompany the traditional Ka Mate, Ka Mate.

Good on any Kiwi team who want to claim such cultural capital as their own and make it symbolise the pride and joy they have in the success of one of their teammates, whatever the colour of the medal.

I am proud to see that codes like swimming have embraced that which has historically been a tikanga/protocol (of starting and celebrating our success in games and at competitions) in rugby and league.

It is the right of every New Zealander to perform the haka and to create actions that are significant to their sport and their aspirations, and the more we see it the more medals we have won so bring it on.

The Black Ferns had a haka we performed before games. What is new, is the performance of such a cultural icon by non-traditional groups, many comprising the majority of non-Maori New Zealanders.

For those New Zealand dissenters who think it is overkill or who compare new haka performances with that of the All Blacks, surely it is better than hearing some of the other country chants.

If the Aussies are getting sick of hearing it then what better motivation do we need to give it to them a few more times.

There were many highlights this week and the three most outstanding performances in no particular order were:

Tahi: Hannah McLean's opening 1m 00.83s 100m backstroke in the 4x100m medley relay which was a Games record.

McLean won bronze in the 200m backstroke in a fantastic championships for her and the swim team who now have the world short course championships in Shanghai to compete in.

Super coach Jan Cameron said it won't end there and I am convinced she will keep her word when she said that she and her team won't stop until they get on that Olympic podium, which is something to look forward to.

Rua: Shelley Kitchen's bronze medal in the squash was outstanding and her performance has been incredibly underrated.

Kitchen beat the winner of last year's British Open and World Open, the World No 1 player Nicol David of Malaysia who many had picked as the most likely Commonwealth Games gold medallist. And this win came after Kitchen was named 2005 Senior Maori Sportswoman of the year.

Toru: If any, this performance by New Zealand sevens coach Gordon Tietjens and his team in winning the gold in three consecutive games marked a signature show of international class and quality.

What a wonderful win after many thought that we did not have the personnel or that this team had not had adequate time together to beat the likes of Fiji (who will most likely win this year's IRB Sevens competition), Australia (with their numerous Wallabies) and England (who had identified gold in their performance objectives for 2006).

Others who have performed superbly are Valerie Vili, who lived up to all the pre-Games expectation in winning the women's shot-put gold with a new Commonwealth Games best of 19.66m, and others who have set new personal bests.

The Silver Ferns have their hour tomorrow. Whatever the outcome, the haka whenever and however and whoever it is performed by, won't be out of place at this event.

Let's hope one is performed to celebrate another Kiwi gold.