“Love how the visiting bands and singers pay respect and acknowledgement to tangata whenua,” said another.
Social media platforms – which give stars a direct line to their fans and a way to raise awareness for issues and causes – have seen several celebrities sharing content.
On Monday actor Jason Momoa also expressed support for the hīkoi, reposting a video from Te Ao Māori News of Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke’s leading a haka in protest to the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill.
The Hollywood star and honorary citizen of Rotorua, who is filming in New Zealand and has been touring the country with his band Oof Tatata, took to Instagram with a message for his 16.7 million followers.
“Our Māori whānau in Aotearoa need our help,” he wrote. “They are fighting for their rights, their culture, and their coming generations. Our Māori cousins have given us so much, from some of the best Pasifika films and actors to overwhelming support on our own ‘āina at Mauna Kea. Let’s return the favour. Mahalo and aloha e te iwi. Aloha j.”
He also shared a link to a petition to Parliament in opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill, that has so far gathered 121,628 signatures.
“Please follow the link in my bio and sign the petition to oppose the Treaty Principles Bill,” Momoa wrote. “It only takes two minutes. If you are outside of NZ you can sign using the post code 0000.”
The Maipi-Clarke-led haka has gone viral, with clips shared across social media platforms and global news outlets.
Writing in The Spinoff’s newsletter The Bulletin, Toby Manhire acknowledged the surge of interest, noting that clips had racked up half a billion views already, with Whakaata Māori’s TikTok video counting 320 million views by Monday morning.
It earned the praise of Lorde, who declared the haka was carried out with the “utmost grace”.
Other high-profile names have also expressed their support for the Māori protest.
Academy Award-winning actor Octavia Spencer shared a video of Maipi-Clarke’s haka from TVNZ via Reuters on Instagram. “If the indigenous Māori are upset about it, you know it can’t be in their best interest,” she wrote. “THIS energy all day @hana_rawhiti! #solidarity”.
Fellow Oscar-winner Viola Davis commented on the post to say she’d watched the clip four times. “POWERFUL!!!!!!❤️”
Grammy-winner Erykah Badu also took to Instagram stories to share her support.
On Monday one-time New Zealand denizen Amanda Palmer told her followers she would be sharing her social platforms with Jeanine Clarkin and to expect collab posts and “a bunch of missives” from the New Zealand fashion designer “regarding the treaty protest and the march that’s just about to the capital.”
The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti has grown to an estimated 30,000 people and is expected to reach Parliament in Wellington on Tuesday.
