Robert Herewini received abuse when he appeared as Santa dressed in a traditional Māori cloak of red feathers

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A Māori Father Christmas who was subject to racist boos and jeers after appearing in a parade dressed in a traditional Korowai cloak has received a wave of public support in New Zealand and is to appear in a much larger Christmas parade in the country’s capital.

Earlier this month, Robert Herewini appeared as Santa in the Nelson Christmas parade, swathed in a traditional Māori cloak of bright red feathers. Korowais – such as that worn by Jacinda Ardern when she met the queen earlier this year – are worn to convey status and prestige. Herewini was referred to as Hana Koko, or Māori Santa.

But his appearance upset many people, with some Nelson residents accusing parade organisers of “ruining Christmas” for their children, and said efforts to reflect New Zealand’s bicultural and multicultural makeup had gone overboard.

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“Santa is not, has never been and will never be a bloody Māori!” said one person on Facebook.

The Green MP Jan Logie said the backlash against Māori Santa displayed an “emboldened racism” in New Zealand.

Herewini said his experience had started on a positive note but quickly turned sour as he realised he faced a hostile reception.

“As we were travelling down the street on the float, you could actually feel the shocked look on the faces of the people and a lot of those were Pākehā [European New Zealanders] people,” Herewini told the Marae television show.

“People were giving me the thumbs down or booing me.”

MARAE (@maraetv) Tomorrow on Marae - for the first time Rob Herewini, also known as the Santa Clause from Nelson speaks out about the toughest week of his life. He’s been at the centre of a national debate and he and his family have been targeted with a tirade of racist messages and comments. pic.twitter.com/0OlRkNx2Ya

The event’s organisers eventually apologised for the inclusion of Hana Koko, and promised to reinstate a more “traditional” Santa in next year’s parade.

The apology has sparked outrage among some in New Zealand, and fans of Māori Santa have raised money to fly him to Wellington to appear as the star in a much larger parade, which thousands of people are planning to attend. Ardern has also been invited to the parade, which organisers said welcomed Santas from “all walks of life”.

“Let’s start some new traditions, suitable for Aotearoa,” said one fan, using the Māori name for New Zealand.

Supporters pointed out that Indigenous people have already appeared as Santas around the country, including a female Māori Santa who went beardless in Kawakawa.

Other towns in New Zealand have also expressed interest in hosting Herewini and there is talk of him touring the country, cloaked in his red-feathered Korowai.