Waititi, never one to shy away from theatrics, says his cowboy hat is a tribute to his grandfather, who served in the war as part of the so-called “Cowboy Company” or Ngā Kaupoai. He also claims his tā moko honours ancestors who were victims of "state-sponsored terrorism." As expected, his speech soon devolved into the familiar blame-it-on-colonisation narrative.
But it was the noose that really took things to a new low.
He referenced a tipuna (ancestor) he claims was wrongfully hanged at Mt. Eden Prison, quoting him as saying, “Take the noose from around my neck so I can sing my song.” According to Waititi, this act symbolised the "silencing" of Māori then and now. He lifted the noose, framed himself as the modern-day victim, and delivered his melodramatic monologue.
Here’s the bitter irony, while Rawiri Waititi cries about being "silenced" in the halls of the very Parliament where he freely performs these stunts, he says next to nothing about the truly silenced voices - the Māori youth taking their own lives at rates nearly three times higher than non-Māori. Suicide by hanging is the most common method, as highlighted by Di Landy on X with sobering statistics. Yet Waititi thinks waving a noose in Parliament is some kind of brave statement?
It’s tone-deaf. It’s performative. And it’s utterly insulting.
But it was the noose that really took things to a new low.
He referenced a tipuna (ancestor) he claims was wrongfully hanged at Mt. Eden Prison, quoting him as saying, “Take the noose from around my neck so I can sing my song.” According to Waititi, this act symbolised the "silencing" of Māori then and now. He lifted the noose, framed himself as the modern-day victim, and delivered his melodramatic monologue.
Here’s the bitter irony, while Rawiri Waititi cries about being "silenced" in the halls of the very Parliament where he freely performs these stunts, he says next to nothing about the truly silenced voices - the Māori youth taking their own lives at rates nearly three times higher than non-Māori. Suicide by hanging is the most common method, as highlighted by Di Landy on X with sobering statistics. Yet Waititi thinks waving a noose in Parliament is some kind of brave statement?
It’s tone-deaf. It’s performative. And it’s utterly insulting.
Click to view - Click here to follow Di Landy on X.
The suicide crisis among Māori is a national tragedy hiding in plain sight. In 2022/23, the suspected suicide rate for Māori was 16.3 per 100,000 - nearly double that of non-Māori at 9.0. These aren’t just statistics; they represent real lives lost, whānau shattered, and communities left grieving.
While the overall national rate dropped slightly in 2023/24 to 11.2, it wasn’t a meaningful change, and for Māori, the crisis remains. Yet Rawiri Waititi and Te Pāti Māori stay silent. No urgent action, no bold policy, no headlines for this. They’ll wave a noose in Parliament for drama, but say nothing about the real noose tightening around Māori communities. The real silencing isn’t by colonisers - it’s by their own so-called champions.
The House will be a better place for the next 21 days without Rawiri Waititi and his Irish sidekick stomping around like they’re leading some kind of revolutionary high school drama group. New Zealand deserves better than this circus.
Matua Kahurangi is just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes. He blogs on https://matuakahurangi.com/ where this article was sourced.
9 comments:
The “noose” should be the punishment for baby killers, eh Waititi.
Clowns are what you get when you let Te Partly Maori into the parliament.
Much easier to live in the past and change it to your own narrative than see the present and address the future.
How many of Waititi's ancestors murdered their victims - warfare or otherwise- and even ate them?
Better still, Waititi could try it for size ? Seriously no! Not all of us preach vitriol and violence but we are very capable of the latter when pushed into a corner.
A rodeo clown no less.
Waititi should read the recently referenced article from the early 1860s in Papers Past about Maori infanticide, forced concubines of Maori warriors and the despot " civilization " of pre European contact.
What a two faced tattooed hypocrite.
Te Partly Maori's party theme song should be that old classic, "Send in the Clowns" by Judy Collins
Personally I think this is symbolic of the last throes of a sensible NZ and a statement of the new tribal order - revenge by inter tribal warfare.
The revolution has happened. The new order is being implemented.
Disgustingly bad taste but typical of an ignorant poseur whose stupidity should be obvious to everyone by now.
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