Sharples is not the lord of the dance

The All Blacks have co-opted the haka to the theatre of rugby and the mystique of the game. They have done so for years, says Rodney Hide.

Sir Pita Sharples needs to lighten up. His criticism of Brits lampooning the All Blacks with their "hakarena" gave him every appearance of a religious fanatic ready to terrorise anyone daring to mock his beliefs.

The world already has more than enough of such zealotry without Sir Pita contributing.

Sir Pita should appreciate that one of the joys of living in a free and open society is the right to make fun of other people's ideas and beliefs.

Christians are long inured to it. They know it's part and parcel of religious freedom. You can think what you like but I can make fun of it. That's the deal. It's called free speech.

I am all for politeness and respect but not at the expense of shutting others down.

Sir Pita doesn't share that view.

"The haka is very meaningful to us," he said. "To actually mimic it and deliberately bring it into ridicule is, to me, insulting."

I'm sorry Sir Pita feels insulted but so what? It's lighthearted fun. The juxtaposition of haka and Spanish dance by hard rugby men is amusing.

That the dance insults Sir Pita is his problem. No one has the right not to be insulted or offended. Such a right would put an impossible obligation on the rest of us. The Brits can do any dance they like. There's no need for them to check their choreography with Sir Pita.

Sir Pita is free to think about the haka any way he likes. And he can perform it in any way he chooses. But so, too, can the rest of us. Our views and our performances are not dictated by Sir Pita.

But Sir Pita goes further than just publicly reporting that he's offended. "The Maori and New Zealanders in London could react to that big time."

Meaning what, exactly? That they might overthrow the Queen, refuse to watch the game, bare their buttocks on the field?

I have no idea what Sir Pita is thinking but it sounds ominous.

I suspect Kiwis in London will have a short laugh and forget about it. That's because they have perspective.

The All Blacks have co-opted the haka to the theatre of rugby and the mystique of the game. They have done so for years.

It's how most of us see the haka. It's certainly how the rest of the world sees it.

Maybe for diehard rugby fans it assumes religious significance.

And clearly for Sir Pita the haka has spiritual significance beyond the game of rugby. But that significance can't constrain what others can and can't do.

The haka serves to embolden the All Blacks and their supporters.

It's bad sport to cry foul when other teams and their supporters attempt to mock and satirise it.

It's all part of the game.

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