August 31, 2015
Haka pub irks minister
Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell is encouraging people to use social media to blast former All Black Byron Kelleher's plan to open a haka-themed pub.
Mr Kelleher says Haka Corner in his home city of Toulon was designed to let people discover a piece of New Zealand's rugby culture in France.
He has also launched an online challenge for people to post a video of themselves on the bar's Facebook page doing a haka.
Mr Flavell says he's just using Maori culture to cash in on interest around the the Rugby World Cup, and there are also suggestions the bar could feature young women doing the haka.
"I haven't got a problem with woman doing a haka as a principle, our people do it all the time, but for the purposes of going into a pub and doing a haka so that people come in the door, that is straight piggy backing on the cultural integrity of our people," he says.
Mr Flavell says it's hard to enforce what few rules there are round cultural appropriation, but people can make their displeasure known to the high flying halfback.
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