{"id":10947,"date":"2021-03-30T20:06:50","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T07:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mananews.co.nz\/wp\/?p=10947"},"modified":"2021-03-30T21:21:42","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T08:21:42","slug":"support-he-taua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mananews.co.nz\/wp\/?p=10947","title":{"rendered":"Support He Taua"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
He Taua leaflet June 1979<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
 \u201cMOCKING A PEOPLE’S CULTURE IS A SICK AND SINISTER FORM OF VIOLENCE. We urge the people of NZ to remember this when they consider the events that took place at Auckland University on May 1st<\/sup> 1979 \u201c<\/em><\/strong><\/p>He Taua Defence Committee 1979<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
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This mock haka was carried out by engineering students at Auckland University in 1955. The students appear to be carrying mock taiaha and wearing grass skirts instead of piupiu. Over the years this performance became a tradition, and by the 1980s it had degenerated to the stage where engineers were writing swear words and drawing sexual organs on their bodies. M\u0101ori students at Auckland University tried to have the haka stopped by going through formal channels, but to no avail. This came to a head in 1979 when a group of M\u0101ori students physically confronted the engineering students in what became known as the Haka Party Incident. The group who confronted the engineers were arrested and charged with a number of offences, and are known as He Taua.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
‘<\/sup>For 25 years Maoris have had their culture insulted by the obscene public display of the Engineers’ “Haka Party”. Protests have been made through official channels, but this provocative racist demonstration has continued. They claim it is all just a joke \u2013 but racism is no laughing matter, and seeing our culture ridiculed with grass skirts and lipstick isn’t funny to us.’<\/sub><\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a <\/em>political issue involving racism, and so all the criminal charges against He Taua must be dropped.\u00b7 We believe that this is not an issue that should be tried before the courts and so our main defence will be to mobilise the people in support of our take<\/em><\/strong>. Although we must fight this on a legal as well as a political front, we intend to prove, as did the Bastion Point cases, that court battles can  and wiII be won with the people’s support.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The result of this stand will set a precedent for other groups In N.Z. who are also making a stand against:<\/p>\n\n\n\n