Rawiri Waititi’s Dangerous Hero Worship: A Wake-Up Call for New Zealand
New Zealand stands at a crossroads. We can either call out this dangerous flirtation with authoritarianism or risk letting it fester. David Seymour’s got the guts to say it like it is.
When a politician openly declares they’re “not a fan of democracy” and then doubles down by praising a brutal African dictator as their “modern day hero,” you’d think alarm bells would ring loud enough to wake a coma patient. Yet here we are, with Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi fawning over Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré—a Marxist strongman who seized power in a bloody 2022 coup, delayed elections to 2029, banned homosexuality, and whose forces are accused of massacring over 130 civilians. If this isn’t a red flag the size of a small country, what is?
Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, never one to mince words, has rightly called out Waititi’s “insane views” and labeled Te Pāti Māori a threat to democracy. He’s not wrong. Waititi’s Instagram post earlier this year, where he shared a video of Traoré and gushed, “Tino Rangatira is not only a domestic commitment, it is an international determination. Our fight for political, economic, social and cultural independence and liberation is not a dream, it’s a decision!” reeks of the kind of revolutionary posturing that should make every Kiwi’s skin crawl. This isn’t just a politician with a quirky taste in role models; it’s a man openly flirting with authoritarianism and violence.
Let’s be clear: when someone says they don’t believe in democracy and then idolizes a dictator who’s crushed dissent, silenced the media, and postponed democratic elections, we should take them at their word. Waititi’s not just playing edgy for clicks. His track record—complete with theatrical haka confrontations in Parliament, holding up a noose during a debate, and sharing posts likening his lawn-mowing to giving David Seymour a “good fkn hiding”—paints a picture of a man who’s not just comfortable with violent imagery but seems to revel in i
This isn’t new for Waititi. Back in 2022, he “joked” about poisoning Seymour with karaka berries, a comment so reckless it drew condemnation even from his own party’s supporters. Te Pāti Māori’s leadership has a history of inflammatory rhetoric, from John Tamihere’s “white settler” jabs to Waititi’s claim that democracy is a “tyranny of the majority.” These aren’t off-the-cuff remarks; they’re signals of a deeper ideology that views democratic institutions as obstacles to be dismantled, not reforme
And yet, Labour leader Chris Hipkins refuses to rule out working with Te Pāti Māori in a future coalition. Let that sink in. Hipkins, who fancies himself a steady hand, is apparently fine cozying up to a party whose co-leader idolizes a dictator accused of human rights abuses and mass killings. When pressed, Hipkins dodges, weaving around the question like a politician caught with his hand in the cookie jar. If Labour’s willing to entertain a partnership with a party that cheers for coup leaders, what does that say about their commitment to democracy? Hipkins needs to be hauled over the coals for this. Will he condemn Waititi’s hero worship of Traoré, or is he too spineless to take a stand?
The parallels between Waititi’s rhetoric and Traoré’s actions are chilling. Traoré styles himself as a pan-African revolutionary, promising to “free” Burkina Faso from Western influence while tightening his grip on power. Waititi’s talk of “independence and liberation” echoes this, framing his political fight as a righteous rebellion against a system he openly disdains. But is this really what Waititi envisions with his ‘Tino Rangatira’ mantra—a New Zealand mirroring Traoré’s regime of media suppression, civilian deaths, and banned freedoms? Surely not. Or is it?
The question is, when do we start taking these signals seriously? Waititi’s actions—his words, his stunts, his admiration for a brutal dictator—aren’t just political theater. They’re a pattern. From the haka in Parliament to the noose-waving, he’s consistently pushed boundaries, testing how far he can go while cloaking it in cultural authenticity. Are we waiting for him to don a red beret and a uniform before we admit this is more than posturing? The man’s already told us he’s not a fan of democracy. He’s shown us he’s drawn to violent imagery and authoritarian heroes. How much clearer does it need to be?
Seymour’s warning about Te Pāti Māori being a threat to democracy isn’t hyperbole; it’s a reality check. Waititi’s defenders might call it “cultural expression” or “passion,” but when your passion involves praising a dictator who’s delayed elections and overseen massacres, it’s time to call it what it is: dangerous. New Zealanders deserve better than politicians who flirt with civil unrest and glorify strongmen. The media, too, needs to stop tiptoeing around this. Instead of soft-pedaling Waititi’s antics as “controversial,” they should be asking hard questions about what his vision for New Zealand really entails.
The irony is that Waititi’s rhetoric thrives on division, not unity. While he claims to fight for Māori, his actions risk alienating the very people he claims to represent. Most Māori, like most Kiwis, want a country where everyone has a fair go, not one torn apart by revolutionary fantasies. His obsession with Traoré, a man who’s turned Burkina Faso into a cautionary tale of authoritarianism, betrays a mindset that’s more about power than progress.
Chris Hipkins’ refusal to distance Labour from Te Pāti Māori is a gutless cop-out. If he’s serious about leading, he needs to confront Waititi’s admiration for Traoré head-on. Silence is complicity. And for the rest of us, it’s time to stop shrugging off Waititi’s antics as “just Rawiri being Rawiri.” When a politician tells you they don’t believe in democracy and worships a dictator, believe them. The stakes are too high to look the other way.
New Zealand stands at a crossroads. We can either call out this dangerous flirtation with authoritarianism or risk letting it fester. David Seymour’s got the guts to say it like it is. The question is, will anyone else step up before it’s too late?