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The Maori tribe that owns rights to the "Ka Mate" haka told anti-vaccine protesters Monday to stop performing the famous ritual at demonstrations. The Ngati Toa -- a tribe or iwi in Maori -- is recognised under New Zealand law as the cultural guardian of the Ka Mate haka, which has featured prominently at recent protests against coronavirus-related restrictions. "Ngati Toa condemns the use of the Ka Mate haka to push and promote anti-Covid-19-vaccination messages," the tribe, based just outside Wellington, said in a statement. "We insist that protesters stop using our taonga (cultural treasure) immediately."... ...Ngati Toa chief executive...

New Zealand firefighters performed a powerful haka in Auckland on Wednesday to honor the 9/11 first responders. The group were filmed in their service uniforms in two rows as they performed the Maori tradition. A crowd of dignitaries and other firefighters dressed in their operational gear and were seen watching on. Hakas are generally performed as a sign of great respect and are often presented at funerals, celebrations or sporting events. Over 200 firefighters climbed Auckland's Sky Tower as a tribute to those who died in the attacks on the World Trade Centre. Three chiefs from the New York Fire...

'THE look on their faces was priceless. America’s NBA superstars paused from their warm-ups to stand and face their New Zealand opponents as they performed the haka at the Basketball World Cup overnight. And judging by their reactions, the USA team had never seen anything like it. Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose was stunned. Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose appeared dazed. James Harden, the Houston Rockets star who recently ridiculously claimed he’s the best player in the game, looked lost. And Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth “The Manimal” Faried’s little “What on Earth is going on?” glance from left to right...

The New Zealand Army Mourns Its Dead With An Ancestral War Dance Geoffrey Ingersoll Aug. 30, 2012, 8:21 AM via YouTubeA post by the New Zealand Defence Force has gone viral recently. It's a "Maori" ritual dance, essentially the way Kiwi Soldiers memorialize brothers killed in combat, and it's so awesome it would make any active duty service member want to re-enlist. According to the New Zealand Herald: The 2nd and 1st Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment performed the moving tribute for Corporal Luke Tamatea, 31, Lance Corporal Jacinda Baker, 26, and Private Richard Harris, 21, at their funeral...

NEW Zealand troops announced their arrival in Dili with a fearsome haka today, sending clouds of dust over the troubled East Timor capital as they stamped their feet in the traditional Maori war dance. While the Kiwis have been on patrol in the dangerous Becora area since early last week, they performed the ceremony today as a formal greeting to Australia's Brigadier Mick Slater, who commands international troops in the city. "Kamate, kamate – ka ora ka ora (I die, I die – I live, I live)," a group of 30 New Zealand troops roared, thumping their chests in unison...

TURKISH authorities have banned the traditional Maori haka war dance from ceremonies marking the 90th anniversary of the ill-fated World War I Gallipoli battle, deeming it "obscene". "Overzealous", read the front-page headline of the daily Vatan, which condemned the decision by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to bar Maori performers from doing the haka at Monday's ceremonies. The daily Aksam reported that Ankara "pleaded" with officials in New Zealand not to send Maori haka dancers to the Gallipoli Peninsula in north-western Turkey, where the ill-fated battle occurred in 1915. In past years, the haka – a vigorous dance challenge with...