Cultural sensitivity urged after Spain FIFA World Cup team films haka attempt

Visiting FIFA Women’s World Cup teams have been urged to respect Māori culture after the Spanish team posted a video on social media of team members attempting a haka.

The video briefly appeared on Spain’s social media channels before being taken down.

It showed team members leaping in the air before dissolving into laughter and carried a translated caption: “We are already acclimatised”.

The video was taken at Spain’s first practice in New Zealand before the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20.

Spain officials have not responded to messages from Spain asking them to explain their actions.

FIFA regards it as a team matter and is not commenting.

However, University of Otago senior lecturer Dr Jeremy Hapeta was not impressed.

He said the video appeared to be a spontaneous attempt at the haka, by a group of women who thought it might be funny.

But whether intentional or not, he said “they have done harm”.“They have trampled on the mana of Māori.”

Dr Hapeta, Professor Dame Farah Palmer and Dr Yusuke Kuroda, authored a paper about the commodification of Māori rituals in sport, arguing that haka are important taonga (treasures).

While published in 2018, the examples referenced were from even earlier – he had been talking about this issue for almost a decade.It was frustrating, he said.

“They can plead ignorance, but it gets tired.”

It showed ignorance about indigenous culture, by people who had a very basic level of superficial curiosity around the ritual.

“You would expect more, but it doesn’t surprise me either.”

Hapeta said this was an opportunity to educate people “about the value and the worth of our rich culture that has a lot of depth to it”

.“They are not the first to do it, but hopefully for this tournament they will be the last.The haka honoured Māori, first and foremost, but he said it was also a symbol of bicultural and multiculturalism and kotahitanga (unity).

It was a sacred ritual, that was to be done with the mana it deserved – and with permission.

“Don’t have consent? Don’t do it!”. Do have consent? Do it properly, with mana.

“The notion that it is ‘easier to ask for forgiveness rather than to ask for permission’ just doesn’t cut it.”

It is not the first that a haka attempts by European women’s football teams have fallen flat.

In 2022, a former Football Fern called for Kiwi athletes to receive more education on Māori practices following the “inappropriate” use of the haka by Italian club Juventus.

Kristy Hill – a player rep at the New Zealand Professional Footballers’ Association of Māori heritage – urged national sporting bodies to “take up the challenge” after a clip from a documentary on the Juventus women’s team shared on social media showed the players performing the Ka Mate haka.

Juventus defender Lisa Bottin revealed the Serie A champions had performed the ritual since “the very first day” the club came into existence five years ago, after being taught by New Zealand international Katie Rood.