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New Zealand wants to protect its haka

Exasperated by cases of cultural appropriation, New Zealanders have inserted a clause aimed at protecting the haka, Maori intellectual property, in a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom.

While New Zealanders rarely joke when it comes to playing rugby, they also seem to take the protection of their cultural heritage seriously. Local media 1 news reveals that the Kiwis negotiated a stunning clause in a free trade agreement signed with the United Kingdom in early 2022. It aims to protect the haka “ Dies “, this warrior dance invented in the early 1800s by Te Rauparaha, chief of the Ngati Toa tribe, and popularized around the world by the All Blacks, who use it to impress their opponents with each international match.

The agreement would be a pioneer in the recognition of Maori intellectual property abroad, although the exact form it will take is not yet well known. It would in any case aim to prevent foreign companies from exploiting it for commercial purposes. New Zealanders have regularly cried out about cultural appropriation in recent years, notably when former England player Matt Dawson promoted a parody of haka, the “ not enough in preparation for the 2015 World Cup.

New Zealand already has its legal system

«The haka is constantly misused because people don’t have the context, they don’t understand the depth of the haka and its importance to the Ngati Toa, Kahu Ropata, leader of the Ngati Toadit, told 1 news. The haka is about going up against something bigger than yourself, and as a small tribe, that’s essential for us. It is our heritage.»

In New Zealand, a legal mechanism already exists to protect the Ka Mate haka, the “Haka Ka Mate Attribution Actwhich credits the Ngati Toa tribe whenever the dance is used for commercial purposes. The agreement with the United Kingdom could look like this, even if doubts remain as to the will of the British to respect it. “I suspect that there will be no police rounds to arrest people, but it is important that organizations respect our indigenous intellectual property and in particular the hakasaid Damien O’Connor, New Zealand’s Minister of Commerce. The battle has only begun.

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