TJ Perenara's Treaty message in All Blacks haka 'a sign of unity'

Sunday, 24 November 2024

Veteran halfback TJ Perenara has used his haka before the All Blacks faced Italy on Sunday to voice his support for last week’s hīkoi to Parliament.

Perenara, 32, included in the haka the words “Toitū te tiriti o Waitangi”, in apparent support of the movement against the Treaty Principals Bill which sparked a massive hīkoi to Parliament.

As he started the haka in Turin, Perenara said: “toitū te mana o te whenua, toitū te mana motuhake, toitū te tiriti o Waitangi”, 1News reported.

In English that means “forever the strength of the land, forever the strength of independence, forever the Treaty of Waitangi”.

Talking to Sky Sport after the game, Perenara said it was special to lead the haka at any time, “and to be able to lead it tonight, specially to show the unification of our people back home”.

“I think we all saw the people in our hīkoi that took place, and we definitely saw it over here, and just the unity that our country showed, how our country has all come together.

TJ Perenara leads the All Blacks haka in Turin.

“So for us to be able to acknowledge that unification of our people, all of our people, not just tangata whenua, but tangata katoa (everybody) of Aotearoa, it’s something that was important for us, and important for me,” Perenara said.

“That was really cool.”

Perenara had the support of the team and All Blacks management, coach Scott Robertson said after the match.

“We asked him to explain what was the concept around it, and he said it was a sign of unity,” he said.

“Everyone was across it. He gets his chance to call that and the rest of the team gets to do the haka.”

But ACT leader David Seymour, whose party devised the controversial Treaty bill, questioned why Perenara was opposed to the legislation and urged him to take the time to read it.

“I congratulate TJ on his long All Blacks career and wish him well in Japan,” Seymour said. “I hope he reads the bill at treaty.nz. It says that we all have nga tikanga katoa rite tahi – the same rights and duties. And all New Zealanders have tino rangatiratanga, the right to self-determine, not only Māori.

While leading the haka before his final All Blacks game, he said 'Toi-tu te Tiriti o Waitangi' or 'the Treaty of Waitangi is Everlasting'.

“The challenge for people who oppose this bill is to explain why they are so opposed to those basic principles of equal rights.”

Perenara has led the All Blacks haka more often than any other player, and in his challenge on Sunday showed his support for the Treaty of Waitangi.

He came off the bench during Sunday’s match for his 89th cap, and will now move to Japan to take up a three-year deal with the Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo club.

A Rugby World Cup winner in 2015, Perenara made his All Blacks debut at Eden Park in 2014 as a 22-year-old.

He played his first game for the Wellington Lions at the age of 18, while still at Mana College.

Perenara played his first game for the Hurricanes in 2012, and went on to become the team’s most capped player, with 163 games. He also has the record for Super Rugby tries, with 63.