NZ Rugby Team to Apologise for Calling Conservative Government ‘Redneck’

The women’s team used a pre-match haka to criticise the government. Team management says it was not consulted, and the Poua will apologise.

Grace Steinmetz of the Chiefs Manawa looks to fend off the tackled during the round one Super Rugby Aupiki match between Chiefs Manawa and Hurricanes Poua at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand on March 2, 2024. Michael Bradley/Getty Images

Wellington-based professional women’s rugby team, The Hurricanes, will issue an apology to the New Zealand government after a haka, a Maori ceremonial war dance, labelled the government “redneck.”

The team, known as the Poua, used an altered haka that included the phrase “karetao o te Kāwana kakiwhero” which translates as “puppets of this redneck government,” before the Super Rugby Aupiki season opener against the Chiefs Manawa.