The sole surviving designer of the Tino Rangatiratanga flag, Linda Munn. Photo / John Borren
The sole surviving designer of the Tino Rangatiratanga flag, Linda Munn. Photo / John Borren
The “prolific” misuse and misappropriation of the Tino Rangatiratanga flag on clothing and “knock-off” products has prompted a Bay of Plenty trust to campaign for the protection of the flag’s legacy.
Mount Maunganui-based Te Tuhi Māreikura Charitable Trust has launched a crowd-funding campaign to establish “clear legal parameters” for the national Māori flag’s use, ensuring its authenticity and protecting its integrity.
A statement said the trust and the sole surviving designer of the flag Linda Munn hoped to address the “widespread misuse and misappropriation” of the flag.
It also aimed to establish quality standards for Tino Rangatiratanga merchandise and ensure profits benefited Māori communities directly, combating the exploitation of Māori artwork and empowering local production.
The Tino Rangatiratanga flag was unveiled in 1990 and selected as the Māori national flag in 2009 after a nationwide consultation process. It flies alongside the New Zealand flag on days of national significance, such as Waitangi Day.
The campaign’s goals included establishing intellectual property rights for the Tino Rangatiratanga flag design, developing a limited range of high-quality, artist-endorsed Tino Rangatiratanga products, and creating educational resources to promote respectful and authentic use of the flag.
The statement said the Tino Rangatiratanga flag was a powerful symbol of Māori identity and self-determination.
It was designed by Munn, Hiraina Marsden and Jan Smith in 1989 and embodied the kaupapa for the betterment of Māori culture and traditions.
The Tino Rangatiratanga flag flies over the Auckland Harbour Bridge on Waitangi Day in 2020. Photo / Michael Craig
Cheap, China-made products: ‘They have no understanding of what it means’
Trust chairwoman Julie Paama-Pengelly told the Bay of Plenty Times examples of misuse and misappropriation of the flag were “pretty prolific”.
“If you google [on a large online marketplace] for example, ‘Māori’ or ‘Aotearoa’, you’ll come up with Tino Rangatiratanga merchandise.
“This is part of the problem - once you commercialise something ... it goes to China and the flags get made over there, for example. The $3 shop gets magnets and stuff made over there.
“Once it travels around that universe, you’re kind of questioning what there is to protect it. And that’s really what we’re trying to establish here - how to protect it for the benefit of Māori and the integrity of what it actually stands for.
Te Tuhi Māreikura Charitable Trust chairwoman Julie Paama-Pengelly. Photo / Andrew Warner
“In order to say that there’s blatant transgressions of it, you’ve got to establish that you have the prior right to make decisions on that.”
Paama-Pengelly said she felt “extremely angry” when she saw commercialised products using the flag - such as clothing and plates - particularly the “knock-offs” made in China.
“They have no understanding of what it means. And often our people are drawn to buy that ... because they want to be seen wearing those things. And they’re cheap.
“If you’re Māori and you want to commercially do something that uses the flag, then it should be for the betterment of Māori and should be giving back to the community.”
A Tino Rangatiratanga flag flies at tapu Lake Rotokākahi near Rotorua. Photo / Laura Smith
Asked about Te Pāti Māori’s use of the flag, Paama-Pengelly said: “The flag, as it stands, is used appropriately by most people.
“We’re not trying to stop anyone using it at this particular point.”
