The popular ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ song has had another rendition but this time from Te Pāti Māori.
The party’s latest post on its Instagram account shows five of its six MPs singing their hearts out led by co-leader Rawiri Waititi playing his infamous guitar.
“It was all a spontaneous thing that just naturally occurred in a very beautifully Māori way. It was one morning in the middle of a busy week of maidens, petitions, and rallies when our crew of MPs and kaimahi sat down to catch a breather. The guitar came out and before you know it we’re composing the waiata on the way the government has conducted itself in its first month as government,” says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson.
While the dulcet tones from the quintet have caught the attention and reaction of members of the public, it’s the skillful and rhymical lyrics taking swing at the National Government that are getting the most reaction.
Requests for the song to be turned into a ringtone or released on Spotify
A comment by @lioneldamaori says “Soooo well written. Take a bow e te whānau.” Another comment saying “This is the best Christmas song ever.”
Some of the party’s 120,000 followers even asked if they could make the song into a ringtone or have it released on Spotify.
“As Māori, waiata is our rongoā. It brings people together, allows us to take a breath for a moment, regroup and put everything aside whilst have a bit of a laugh. Politics doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. If we can create ways of conveying the message that engage whānau, then that’s a win for us all. When seeing our culture, te Reo Māori, and people being thrown around like a football, it can be very heavy on the mind, heart and spirit. This was our spontaneous way of regrouping and having a laugh,” says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson.
The lyrics in the song which are also subtitled on the video refer to the 12 things that the Government has “given“ to Te Pāti Māori this Christmas.
Number one is, Toitū Te Tiriti (Uphold the Treaty) - the recent movement which saw thousands rally across Aotearoa and just on Saturday, across the Tasman in Melbourne saw Māori expressing their concerns on the new government’s policies impacting Māori.
The Oath to Harehare caused global headlines
The Oath to Harehare was also referred to in the song, being number two on the list. The word “Harehare” was heard earlier this month at the opening of New Zealand’s 54th Parliament causing global headlines and sparking debate about whether the Māori word used by three of Te Pāti Māori MPs (co-leaders & Tākuta Ferris) to describe King Charles III was meant to be “Charles” or “skin rash”. The usual affirmation for swearing allegiance to the King in te reo Māori is to “Kīngi Tiāre te Tuatoru”.
“Six Māori MPs“ got a mention, coming in sixth in the waiata. This refers to Te Pāti Māori claiming six electorate wins from the 2023 New Zealand General Election, with Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke becoming New Zealand’s youngest MP in 170 years.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s Reo Lessons were also referred to. This week the PM defended spending $4150 of taxpayer money on his own te reo Māori lessons after he criticised that specific use of public funds. This month, National criticised bonuses for public servants who were proficient in the language, saying they should only apply to roles where it was relevant. Such bonuses had been provided in some organisations since the 1980s and were included in some collective agreements.
Te Ao News requested for comment from the co-leaders of Te Pāti Māori, but both were unavailable today. But in response to whether there is a change on the horizon and for the Māori community, the party spokesperson said, “Absolutely there is, you seen the way te iwi Māori and tangata tiriti have mobilised. Even in Melbourne yesterday, they are making themselves heard. They are loud proud and unapologetic. Our whānau are very much against the proposals of this new government, and they’re making sure they’re heard.”
Te Ao News has reached out to the National government for a response but has declined.
Video Goes Viral
The video has gone viral on Instagram with over 150,000 views, with 20,000 on Tik Tok and almost 10,000 on Facebook. It was only posted on Saturday afternoon.
Lyrics of Te Pāti Māori’s song ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’
On the first day of Christmas, National gave to me, Toitū Te Tiriti.
On the second day of Christmas, National gave to me, Oath to Harehare, and Toitū Te Tiriti.
On the third day of Christmas, National gave to me, no “koreraw maari”, Oath to Harehare, and Toitū Te Tiriti.
On the fourth day of Christmas, National gave to me, 4 Maiden Speeches, no “koreraw maari”, Oath to Harehare, and Toitū Te Tiriti.
On the fifth day of Christmas, National gave to me, Coalition of Chaos, 4 Maiden Speeches, no “koreraw maari”, Oath to Harehare, and Toitū Te Tiriti.
On the sixth day of Christmas, National gave to me, 6 Māori MPs, Coalition of Chaos, 4 Maiden Speeches, no “koreraw maari”, Oath to Harehare, and Toitū Te Tiriti.
On the seventh day of Christmas, National gave to me, Keep Kāinga Ora, 6 Māori MPs, Coalition of Chaos, 4 Maiden Speeches, no “koreraw maari”, Oath to Harehare, and Toitū Te Tiriti.
On the eighth day of Christmas, National gave to me, No Waka Kōtahi, Keep Kāinga Ora, 6 Māori MPs, Coalition of Chaos, 4 Maiden Speeches, no “koreraw maari”, Oath to Harehare, and Toitū Te Tiriti.
On the ninth day of Christmas, National gave to me, Luxon Reo Lessons, No Waka Kōtahi, Keep Kāinga Ora, 6 Māori MPs, Coalition of Chaos, 4 Maiden Speeches, no “koreraw maari”, Oath to Harehare, and Toitū Te Tiriti.
On the tenth day of Christmas, National gave to me, Activated te Iwi Maori and Tangata Tiriti, Luxon Reo Lessons, No Waka Kōtahi, Keep Kāinga Ora, 6 Māori MPs, Coalition of Chaos, 4 Maiden Speeches, no “koreraw maari”, Oath to Harehare, and Toitū Te Tiriti.
Note: Te Pāti Māori has fallen two days short of the “Twelve things/days“ in this rendition of the song ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’. Meri Kirihimete!