The Maori tribe that sponsors the traditional Haka “ka mate” under New Zealand law is asking anti-vaccine protesters to stop performing the traditional dance during the demonstrations. The famous Hakka, for example her dance of the national rugby team The All Blacks, appears regularly in demonstrations against Corona measures in New Zealand.
The Ngati Toa, as the tribe is called, often spoke out against the improper use of the Hakka with which they honor their ancestors. “Many of our ancestors have died in previous epidemics and our tribe has suffered a lot. As far as we are concerned, it is quite clear that the covid-19 vaccine offers us the best possible protection and we are doing our best to get the family home vaccinated as soon as possible.”
Since the outbreak of the global coronavirus, New Zealand has largely kept the virus in place with very strict rules for travelers. Partly due to rapid lockdown measures in case of infection, a total of only about 8,700 infections have been detected in the country with 5 million inhabitants and 33 deaths from the virus.
The scale of the demonstrations against Corona policy in New Zealand has grown since the announcement of a possible vaccination demand for some professions. Many of the protesters are Maori.