By Asia Samachar | New Zealand |
A Sikh nagar kirtan (religious parade) in South Auckland was disrupted when a group of self-described “Patriot” protesters performed a haka along the route, prompting police intervention.
The protesters, linked to Brian Tamaki’s Destiny Church, gathered on Great South Road wearing blue shirts with slogans such as “Kiwis First” and “Keep NZ, NZ,” and displayed a banner reading “This is New Zealand not India.”
Despite their aggressive nature, the Sikhs taking part in the on-foot procession remained calm and collected.
If their intentions to ignite a confrontation or hate, the group has certainly failed. It promoted Tāmaki Makaurau MP to call it out for using haka in the standoff, stating that ‘haka is not a political tool for harassment.’
“What happened in Manurewa was not peaceful protest. It was targeted disruption that weaponised culture, identity, and public space to shame and exclude people who are valued members of our wider whānau,” said Oriini Ngawai Kaipara, a broadcaster and now an MP.
She added: “The Sikh community are manuhiri in our whenua people who live here, raise their children here, work and serve communities here. They have, for decades, helped many Māori to uphold our own values, tikanga, and stand alongside us during our moments of need.”
The nagar kirtan on Dec 20 was organised by the Nanaksar Sikh Gurudwara in Manurewa.
The haka is a traditional ceremonial dance or challenge from New Zealand’s indigenous Māori culture, performed by groups with vigorous movements, chanting and facial expressions (pūkana) to express pride, unity, welcome guests, acknowledge achievements, or prepare for battle; it’s globally famous through the All Blacks rugby team’s pre-game ritual, embodying Māori identity and spirit.
In another response on the social media, Priyanca Radhakrishnan, a Labour Party MP and a former minister lambasted the organizers of the protest.
“New Zealand is home to people who speak over 300 different languages, belong to many faiths and have brought numerous traditions & festivals to this nation. The Sikhs, for example, have been here since the late 1800s.
“So it’s pretty ridiculous that one man & his band of followers think they can dictate who is or isn’t Kiwi and what is or isn’t “the Kiwi way of life”. The sad reality is that these sorts of behaviour that border on being intimidating and hateful result in other-ing specific groups of people; making them feel less-than. Not Kiwi-enough. Then it becomes ok to treat them differently- because they are different (in their minds). And that’s a slippery slope right back to what happened here on March 15th 2019 or Bondi, more recently. Hate is dangerous & shouldn’t be allowed to be normalised,” she wrote.
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