By Alex Bourn
Broadcaster John Tamihere has applauded the use of a French rugby player sporting a moko on the cover of a gay and lesbian magazine.
While many criticise the use of moko and haka by overseas interests, the former associate Maori affairs minister says it puts the spotlight on our culture and brings interest to New Zealand in Rugby World Cup year.
The artist directly copies a Maori moko while making up rugby star Alexis Palisson for the front cover of French magazine Tetu.
“I see with the advent of the World Cup, revving up public interest in France and using a whole range of gimmicks to do that is beneficial for us as the Frenchman come down here,” says Mr Tamihere. “So I see it in a very positive light.”
With the World Cup kicking off in New Zealand in less than two months, overseas teams and companies are getting into the spirit by incorporating a bit of Kiwi into their own image.
The English rugby squad now has Maori motifs being woven into their training strips.
But foreigners using Maori tradition is nothing new. An Italian commercial showed women doing the haka to advertise the Fiat car brand.
“What the ‘froggies’ and what the Italian girls did, I don't have any problem with, actually,” says Mr Tamihere. “And those who are professing otherwise, need to pull their head in a bit.”
This month, the Waitangi Tribunal issued its Wai 262 report on Maori intellectual property, which recommends the Government give Maori the right to veto over the commercial exploitation of cultural imagery.
But there is nothing to protect Maori designs being copied offshore. Artcritic Hamish Keith says different cultures have been influencing the mainstream for hundreds of years.
“We live in a world where we pinch lots of other peoples images too and don’t think about it, people wear tartan kilt's or whatever,” says Mr Keith.
3 News