New Zealand's flag bearers wearing the kōrowai to showcase our culture. Photo / Getty Images
New Zealand's flag bearers wearing the kōrowai to showcase our culture. Photo / Getty Images
THREE KEY FACTS:
Dame Lisa Carrington’s three gold medals in Paris make her our most successful Olympian ever
New Zealand had its best Olympics, winning 20 medals – 10 gold, eclipsing the eight won in Los Angeles in 1984
Aotearoa New Zealand finished 11th in the medal tally.
Dion Enari is a senior lecturer in sport leadership and management at Auckland University of Technology. He has a PhD in Fa’asamoa and holds the ali’i tulafale title Lefaoali’i from Lepa, Samoa.
Levi Fox ( Ngāti Porou Tūwharetoa) has worked in mental health and social work practice across Australia and Aotearoa. His PhD research focused on understanding the role of indigenous spirituality and ancestral healing frameworks. He is an academic at Gold Coast Griffith University.
Although Māori culture has been attacked in New Zealand, all things te ao Māori have been celebrated this Olympics.
From our Black Ferns Sevens’ gold medal-winning haka to the kōrowai worn by our flag bearers, it is Māori culture that platforms this country to the world.
As indigenous academics, we believe these international platforms are important in advocating for indigenous cultures.
Not only has this Olympics been a platform to showcase our sporting ability, equally importantly it has platformed the beauty of te ao Māori internationally.
Triple gold medallist and proud Māori Dame Lisa Carrington. Photo / Photosport
Viral video clips of the Black Ferns’ haka and waiata have increased global interest in New Zealand.
Reaction videos and TikTok posts have shown people from other countries admiring the beauty of Māori displayed by our athletes.
This Olympics saw many firsts for te ao Māori, including a glossary of Māori terms designed by Sky, the New Zealand Olympic Committee and the Māori Language Commission.
Nearly 1000 terms and phrases across 30 Olympic sporting codes are included in the glossary.
The Black Ferns Sevens at the Stade de France. Photo / Photosport
We also saw Orini Kaipara, pouwhiringa Māori culture lead, bring 1200 poi to Paris, and pole vaulter Eliza McCartney give her welcoming speech in te reo Māori.
This was also the first Olympics to have a Māori monarch attend, Kingi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero te tuawhitu.
His ceremonial welcome by kapa haka roopu Whangara mai Tawhiti into the Olympic village gave athletes from around the globe insight into Māori culture, history, and indigenous leadership.
So why is this important?
With the growing anti-Māori rhetoric invading many facets of New Zealand society, we must remember others around the world do not share these sentiments.
Dr Levi Fox.
While certain New Zealand political parties spew hate against Māori culture for being “useless” and “woke virtue-signalling”, it is nice to see the rest of the world embrace the beauty of Māori.
To hell-bent, right-wing New Zealand, Māori are seen as “disgruntled natives” who are a nuisance to colonial empire and power.
To the rest of the world, Māori are seen as global leaders in indigenous cultural survival and sustainability.
Dr Dion Enari.
Globally, many international politicians and celebrities have deep respect for Māori and their customs. Many say they stand with Māori and their culture, which makes New Zealand unique.
As indigenous academics who have both lived in New Zealand and abroad, we have seen the stark contrast first-hand toward Māori culture here and abroad – from having Americans ask us to teach them a few words, to Caucasian Australians begging for more hāngī and boil-up.
Interestingly, not only have we seen non-New Zealanders overseas embrace Māori culture, but we also see this among the non-Māori New Zealand diaspora.
We have seen Caucasian, Fijian, Samoan and Indian New Zealanders join kapa haka groups and enrol in te reo Māori classes across Australia.
