When contacted by\u00a0Mata<\/i>, ACT Party ethnic communities spokesperson Parmjeet Parmar said: “Reports that this performance was composed and directed at mocking Indians are deeply troubling. Many in the Indian community have come to New Zealand seeking opportunity, safety, and a sense of belonging. They\u00a0deserve to be treated with dignity<\/a>“.<\/p>\n ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar.\u00a0<\/span>Photo:\u00a0RNZ \/ Blessen Tom<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n In an interview with Te Arawa FM journalist Kereama Wright posted on Monday, Wilson defended the haka, saying, “Ko te hunga p\u0113n\u0101 ki a Parmjeet e hiahia ana te tohutohu mai, ko t\u0101ku, haere hoki!”, “For people like Parmjeet who want to tell us what to do, I say you can go”.<\/p>\n Indigenous rights advocate Tina Ngata criticised the performance online, writing that she believed, “Parmjeet Parmar has indeed done a lot of damage, and delivers racist harm to M\u0101ori and many others. The answer to that should not be to deliver racist harm back upon her people by mocking them, ridiculing their culture, jeering at the poverty on their lands that comes from the same coloniser, and using racial slurs cloaked in our reo”.<\/p>\n Parmar previously drew criticism after seeking advice from officials on the range of possible penalties for Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori MPs following their Treaty Principles haka in Parliament, including whether imprisonment was an option. She said at the time she was “doing her homework”.<\/p>\n Wilson served as Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori president from 2018 to 2022 before being replaced by John Tamihere. He is also a former Deputy Secretary for the Ministry of Environment.<\/p>\n He leads the kapa haka – Te Pae Kahurangi, an affiliate of the kapa haka Te Iti Kahurangi. When\u00a0Mata<\/i>\u00a0first contacted Wilson, it was advised he would not be available to comment due to w\u0101nanga commitments.<\/p>\n Te Iti Kahurangi, the senior group, is led by newly selected Labour Party candidate Kingi Kiriona, who announced during the competition that he would stand against Waikato-Hauraki MP Hana R\u0101whiti Maipi-Clarke.<\/p>\n Kingi Kiriona – Labour candidate for the Hauraki Waikato seat.\u00a0<\/span>Photo:\u00a0Supplied \/ Aukaha<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n When\u00a0Mata<\/i>\u00a0contacted Kiriona, he provided a statement attributed to Wilson, and reiterated that Wilson had been unable to reply because he had been away at a w\u0101nanga.<\/p>\n The statement said: “Haka is a platform to challenge and where relevant, denigrate in response to an issue. The haka was composed and choreographed by a collective known as Te Wh\u0101nau o Te Pae Kahurangi, and takes aim at ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar for her actions in seeking imprisonment advice for the performance of the haka by M\u0101ori MPs in the house last year, as well as her attack on M\u0101ori-focussed roles, courses, and spaces at the University of Auckland.<\/p>\n “Te Pae Kahurangi regards these actions as clear examples of prejudice towards M\u0101ori culture, and as such, the haka is aimed specifically at Mrs. Parmar and not the Indian community.<\/p>\n “Te Pae Kahurangi does not condone racism. Te Pae Kahurangi apologises for any offence caused to the Indian community, towards whom this haka was not directed”.<\/p>\n The controversy comes as the government prepares to sign a free trade agreement with India. The issue has already created political tension between National and New Zealand First.<\/p>\n Minister Shane Jones previously warned such a deal could lead to a “tsunami of butter chicken<\/a>“, a comment that\u00a0drew strong criticism<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Tuesday Labour leader Chris Hipkins condemned Jones’ remarks which he described as “racist at the least”, adding “there is no room for racist rhetoric in any government that I lead”.<\/p>\n Last year Hipkins was critical of former Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori MP T\u0101kuta Ferris when he attacked Labour for using “Indians, Asians, Black and P\u0101keh\u0101” to help campaign for Peeni Henare in the T\u0101maki Makaurau byelection.<\/p>\n Labour candidate Kingi Kiriona and Labour leader Chris Hipkins hongi.\u00a0<\/span>Photo:\u00a0Supplied \/ Aukaha<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Last week an Auckland man was arrested in relation to\u00a0anti-Indian graffiti near Papatoetoe Central School<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Political connections<\/h3>\n
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Rising tension<\/h3>\n
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