‘Charles’ or ‘skin rash’? Māori MPs’ oath of allegiance to king sparks translation debate
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”. […]
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.
I actually really like that last idea much more than swearing allegiance to whoever the head of state now is. As for the language issue… well, the new NZ government has raised quite some concern about the status of te reo Māori in their brave new world:
It’s not yet clear what the new government’s position will be on the use of te reo Māori by government departments because it’s not yet been formed.
The three prospective parties – National, ACT and NZ First – have different views on the issue. National’s Chris Luxon has said he wants an “English first” approach for government departments with dual-language names, whereas NZ First’s Winston Peters has promised to erase all Māori names from government departments.
Winston Peters is half-Maori himself, for what it’s worth, which has not stopped him being a right wing prick. As for ACT, I can’t find their specific policy on the language, but I do see that some of the things they want include abolishing parliamentary seats guaranteed for Maori and an evidently substantial rewrite of the Waitangi Treaty, so I don’t suppose they’re too sympathetic to language considerations either. As amusing as this stunt was, I have a feeling this is only going to harden Luxon and Peters against using te reo in parliament at any rate…
