What Can We Learn from the Maori Santa Incident?

Robert Herewini played the role of Santa pn201

Last Sunday's Santa Parade in Nelson which saw Santa in a korowai cloak and none of his traditional gear has sparked debate across the country.

Trivial as it may seem, the responses could tell us something about ourselves?  


The Nelson organizers may have got it wrong —a Maori Santa doesn't seem right— but I think they meant well, and they later apologized (see below).  Duncan Garner. on the other hand,  may have got the Santa part right, but he got the Maori part very wrong —and he hasn't apologized.   

All Black Nehe Milner-Skudder may have read into it more than it was, but he got the main thing right. Garner's "Maori don't own everything"  comment is racist.  

Garner should apologize, and we'd move on, but if he doesn't or if his response is along the lines that this is another example of "political correctness", he should be sacked. 

We don't need racists and hate-mongers given free and unquestioned space in the media in Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

Ponder on this for a while, and then let us know what you think in "Comment."

--ACW  

Organisers of Nelson's Sunday Santa Parade have apologised for replacing their traditional Santa with Hana Kōkō. 

Santa Parade Trust event director Mark Soper said the trust was "truly sorry that the parade did not live up to expectations, and are saddened to hear so many people were disappointed".

Soper said the trust had "learnt a lot" from the experience, and while they hoped to build on the parade's multi-cultural elements, next year would see the return of a "traditional Santa Claus".

The white-bearded, jolly man was replaced in Sunday's parade by a Māori man representing Santa Claus.  -- Newshub,