Māori party MPs have departed from the traditional oath of allegiance to King Charles III at the opening of New Zealand’s 54th parliament, sparking a debate about whether the Māori word they used to describe him meant “Charles” or “skin rash”.
As part of the formalities to open parliament, MPs must swear allegiance to New Zealand’s head of state, something Te Pāti Māori, a Māori political party, has long protested against. MPs can say the oath in either English or Te reo Māori.
During Tuesday’s opening of parliament, three MPs from Te Pāti Māori traded “Kīngi Tiāre,” the official reference to the king in the oath if spoken in Māori, for “Kīngi harehare.”
The website Māori Dictionary refers to “Tiāre” as “Charles” and “harehare” as a “skin rash” and “sore” among other skin conditions as well as something “offensive” or “objectionable”.
“There are lots of meanings for lots of things,” Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony when asked about her use of “harehare” in the oath.
When asked if the party’s MPs were being “cute” by switching the reference to the king, Ngarewa-Packer said: “Always. Always provocative.”
Co-leader Rawiri Waititi said that “hare” is a word that can mean Charles in some areas of New Zealand for Māori speakers, adding that he has an uncle called Charles and he refers to him as “hare.”
Tākuta Ferris, another Te Pāti Māori minister who used the word “harehare” in his oath, told Stuff’s political reporter Glenn McConnell that “hare” is “East Coast for Charles.”
However, McConnell, who is Māori, went on to write that Ferris is from the same area as he is from and “Hare has a very different meaning … it means scab.”
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones said: “They are trying to make fun of the transliteration ‘hare’, which if said as ‘harehare’ is kind of a transliteration of Charlie, but it also means something objectionable.”
Jack Potaka, a Māori language expert with Te Tari Consultants, confirmed that “hare” can have different meanings in different regions including “skin rash” and “Charles or Charlie” but cautioned that the intended meaning can only be confirmed by the speaker.
“This linguistic diversity underscores the potential for varied interpretations influenced by regional nuances,” Potaka said in an email.
All Te Pāti Māori MPs broke with protocol and swore allegiance to their grandchildren before stepping forward to pledge allegiance to the king.
The oath spoken by Ferris, Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer is yet to be disputed by the clerk of the house.
The day started with thousands of people hitting the streets in towns and cities all over New Zealand protesting policies of the new government that Māori say will unravel decades of indigenous progress.
