Opinion

EDITORIAL Revenge is a dish best served kir˜mi

I couldn’t resist, Wairarapa. I ditched the “health goals” and bought a block of Whittaker’s Miraka Kirīmi.

“Wokeness” gone too far never tasted so good.

That’s right. It would appear our beloved chocolatiers have committed the cardinal sin of using an offi cial language in their marketing.

In celebration of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Whittaker’s released a limited edition of its

Creamy Milk bar — rebranding its label and packaging in te reo.

An uncomfortably signifi cant number of social media users weren’t thrilled. Whittaker’s had crossed a line, they declared. It was “forcing “Mari” down [their] throats like mandated injections” and its products are hereby crossed off their grocery list.

Right-wing blogger Cameron Slater took to Twitter to issue a warning: “You go woke, you go broke”.

Bless your heart, Cam.

Honestly, folks, this is

Young(ish), scrappy & hungry Erin Kavanagh-Hall

bizarre. For starters, as a recent Spinoff editorial pointed out, if you don’t want non-English phrasings foisted upon you, the supermarket isn’t the best place to frequent. Lest you fi nd yourself assaulted by kimchi, tzatziki and various French cheeses [quelle horreur…].

Also, isn’t it Slater’s followers who are the fi rst to throw up their hands and cry “cancel culture” every time a celebrity is called to account for problematic actions? And here they are, “cancelling” a chocolate company. For promoting a national language.

But let’s be real — this ain’t new. Remember all the complaints to the Broadcasting Standards Authority about journalists using te reo on air? The young people fi red for te reo greetings in the workplace? The “It’s New Zealand, not Aotearoa” signs at the farmers’ protests?

In an interview for Stuff , Dr Moana Waitoki, New Zealand Psychological Society president, called it out: Good old-fashioned racism and white supremacy.

“Anything to do with the visibility of Māori is triggering for some — and that stems from assumptions of superiority. It stems from assumptions of Māori being less valuable,” she said.

“You can have multiple languages on display, but you put te reo Māori there and it’s a trigger, because it means we have stepped out of our place.”

Sociologist Paul Spoonley agreed — and cited a fear of Eurocentric ideals being displaced by “the growing presence of te reo Māori”.

“What intrigues me is that while many of us see this language … as part of our maturity as a nation, others want to defi ne it as

PHOTO/STOCK. ADOBE.COM/ SUPPLIED ‘losing something’. But what is being lost?”

What indeed?

Don’t get me wrong: It’s easy to get cynical when it comes to the corporate world and its displays of progressivism. It’s one thing for companies to slap on a rainbow logo during Pride — but it’s another for said companies to ensure LGBTQ+ rights are protected at work.

As journalist Shilo Kino wrote for The Guardian, it will take “more than a sprinkling of te reo” in our media reports for the language, and Māori themselves, to thrive in Aotearoa. It will take more than a few kupu Māori [Māori words] on supermarket shelves for tangata whenua to gain a seat at the table.

That said, promotions such as Miraka Kirīmi play a role in normalising te reo in our daily lives.

Te reo is woven into our culture and our identity. It is enshrined in law as an offi cial language of Aotearoa. A language that was, for generations, suppressed, ridiculed, and beaten out of its people. Te reo on our street signs, in our news reports, on our chocolate bars is only a small step towards restoring and preserving this taonga. But, frankly, it’s the least we can do.

Disappointing as this whole saga has been, it’s also been heartening to see a groundswell of support for Whittaker’s. Following Slater’s tirade, a number of Kiwis opened their wallets in protest — and Miraka Kirīmi fl ew off the shelves. So much for going broke. Ka pai to mahi, Whittaker’s.

My country is a work in progress — but I love it. Almost as much as I love chocolate.

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STREET TALK

The song that always reminds me of my childhood is…

Cheryl Cavanagh:

That’s Amore by Dean Martin.

Maggie Flynn:

Snoopy’s Christmas.

Zoë MacKenzie:

Slice of Heaven [Dave Dobbyn] and You’re the Voice [John Farnham].

Ann-Marie Stapp:

The Muppet Show theme song.

Karen Roberts:

Puff the Magic Dragon.

Cheryl Jaggard:

The Pushbike Song by Mungo Jerry.

Brian Veitch:

Yellow Submarine [The Beatles].

Desiree Feast:

Do the Bluebeat by Dinah Lee or any Monkees songs.

Jean Cretney:

I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair.

Peter Rayner:

Pour Some Sugar On Me [Def Leppard].

Kim Rose Powers

See ya, see ya later from You and Me [with Suzy Cato].

Debbie Flannery:

The Sesame Street theme.

Jocelyn Konig:

The Purple People Eater.

Janine Cardno:

Lots of Elvis songs.

Kasey Harlen

Sugar, Honey, Honey by the Archies.

Mandy Gibbins:

The whole Dark Side of the Moon album [Pink Floyd].

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CUTIE OF THE WEEK

CONTACT US

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So dapper! Magnus Smith, 10 months, is all dressed up, complete with red bands, for the recent Glamour and Gumboots photography competition. This adorable shot, taken by Mum Shannon Smith, received a highly commended award in the children’s section, with the family taking home a prize donated by Thunderpants in Martinborough. Magnus lives in Upper Plain, Masterton, with his family and numerous animals — including dogs, cows, and chickens. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Transparency, Honesty and Trust.

I am standing for Mayor of Masterton District and it is these three qualities I will bring to our new council. I bring governance and business acumen to the council, not only from my role on the National Council of the New Zealand Automobile Association, being an associate member of the Institute of Directors, but also from owning businesses over the last 35 years. I already sit on the Councils Strategic Aerodrome Committee, along with the Remutaka Transport Group and the Masterton Road Safety Council. I believe we should build our new Town Hall on the existing site and extend the Library on the land we already own. Lets make better use of existing council assets. We need to focus on the core business of council and then ask what does the community want.  Splash pad at QE11 park?  Dog Park at Henley Lake?  More mobility parking in the CBD?  Safer rural roads? Masterton District has been my family’s home now for over 20 years, I went to Wairarapa College as did my children. It is a great place to live and work. Its time for a fresh perspective, new ideas and a di erent approach - to get Masterton the way you want it. Vote Craig Bowyer for Mayor/Council.