Women’s rugby team the Hurricanes Pouahas performed another haka today that criticised the Coalition government.
The pre-match performance was also a direct challenge to instructions from Hurricanes bosses against making political statements. Despite Hurricanes CEO Avan Lee’s earlier assurance to legacy media outlet RNZ that such an act would not recur and an apology would be issued, the team performed another haka with political undertones before their game against the South Island Matatū in Wellington.
The haka is said to have referenced the government and the Treaty of Waitangi, with Poua haka leader Leilani Perese expressing the team’s stance against the government and dismissing criticism about women performing the haka.
Deputy PM Winston Peters criticised the team on X (Twitter), saying that their actions, which he viewed as ‘naive’ and ‘partisan political activism’, could damage the Hurricanes’ brand and lead to a loss of support – a classic example of ‘Go woke go broke’, he tweeted.
The Hurricanes may well lose support and viewers because the CEO has a bunch of naive players damaging the brand by attempting to wade into partisan political activism without any concept of reality. They are trying to insult the government but are instead now just slapping the… pic.twitter.com/7VcXkKA18Z
— Winston Peters (@winstonpeters) March 9, 2024
Nothing like a field full of irrationally angry, screaming women to go with your sport.
Ask any man, he’ll tell you 😆👍
Wellington, another woke capital city in the West deranged from the reality.
What is it with Wellington?? The whole damn place is woke
Wellington, the Washington of New Zealand. Honestly living in another planet.
how dare they! who do they think they are – politics should not be involved, another reason i don’t watch rugby!