While New Zealanders rarely joke when it comes to playing rugby, they also seem to take the protection of their cultural heritage seriously.
The local media 1 news reveals that the Kiwis negotiated an astonishing clause in a free trade agreement signed with the United Kingdom at the beginning of 2022. It aims to protect the haka "
Ka Mate
", this war dance invented at the beginning of the 1800s by Te Rauparaha, chief of the Ngati Toa tribe, and popularized worldwide by the All Blacks, who use it to impress their opponents with every international encounter.
The agreement would be a pioneer in the recognition of Maori intellectual property abroad, although the exact form it will take is not yet well known.
It would in any case aim to prevent foreign companies from exploiting it for commercial purposes.
New Zealanders have repeatedly cried out against cultural appropriation in recent years, notably when former England player Matt Dawson promoted a parody of the haka, the '
hakarena
', in preparation for the 2015 World Cup.
New Zealand already has its legal system
"
The haka is constantly misused because people don't have the context, they don't understand the depth of the haka and its importance to the Ngati Toa,
" Ngati Toadit leader Kahu Ropata told 1 news.
The haka is about going up against something bigger than yourself, and as a small tribe, that's essential for us.
It is our heritage.
»
In New Zealand, a legal mechanism already exists to protect the Haka Ka Mate, the "
Haka Ka Mate Attribution Act
", which credits the Ngati Toa tribe each time the dance is used for commercial purposes.
The agreement with the United Kingdom could look like this, even if doubts remain as to the will of the British to respect it.
"
I suspect that there will be no police rounds to arrest people, but it is important that organizations respect our indigenous intellectual property and in particular the haka
", underlined Damien O'Connor, Minister New Zealand Trade.
The battle has only begun.