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Australia and New Zealand are locked in a battle of tongue in cheek after Māori words are removed

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Australia and New Zealand are locked in a battle of tongue in cheek after Māori words are removed
News

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Australia and New Zealand are locked in a battle of tongue in cheek after Māori words are removed

2024-08-08 13:36 Last Updated At:13:40

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The removal of basic Māori phrases meaning “hello” and “New Zealand” from a Māori lunar new year invitation to an Australian official was not a snub of the Indigenous language by New Zealand’s government, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Wednesday, seemingly joking that it instead reflected the “incredibly simple” language required when speaking to Australians.

Luxon’s defense in Parliament of the lawmaker who ordered the removal of the Māori words from an invitation sent to Australia’s arts minister was an attempt to rebuff criticism that his government is anti-Māori, as it seeks to reverse policies favoring Indigenous people and language.

The prime minister appeared to indulge in a favorite pastime of New Zealanders, who enjoy a friendly rivalry with their closest neighbor: calling Australians stupid.

“In my dealings with Australians, it always pays to be incredibly simple and clear and use English," Luxon said, referring to the invitation sent to Tony Burke.

Ripostes between lawmakers across the Tasman have precedent. In the most famous example, a New Zealand leader, Rob Muldoon, quipped in the 1980s that New Zealanders who migrate to Australia “raise the IQ of both countries.”

On Thursday, a smiling Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded to Luxon with a favorite Australian joke — that no one can understand the New Zealand accent.

He said that at times interpreters were needed, perhaps diplomatically adding that he had sometimes “missed” things said by Luxon's predecessors too.

“Look, we’re great friends and we’re great mates,” the Australian leader said. "Sometimes though we do speak a different language and that’s when we both think we’re speaking English.”

The exchange offered a diversion in an otherwise tense session of New Zealand's Parliament, which has been roiled by accusations of bullying, racism and insults in recent weeks, with lawmakers in tears and the prime minister urging “all political leaders to watch their rhetoric.”

During Question Time, Luxon was asked by opposition leader Chris Hipkins about a series of inflammatory remarks he said lawmakers had recently made.

Among them was the report that New Zealand’s arts, culture and heritage minister, Paul Goldsmith — who signed off on the new year invitation — had directed officials to remove some Māori phrases from the materials, according to documents divulged by 1News.

They included “tēnā koe” — a formal way to say hello, learned by New Zealand children in their first year of elementary school — and “Aotearoa,” a commonplace Māori name for New Zealand.

“I just didn’t think it needed a lot of te reo in it,” Goldsmith told 1News, using a phrase meaning the Māori language, an official one of New Zealand. The language was once close to dying out, but activists provoked a revival over several decades, and common Māori words or phrases are now in everyday use among all New Zealanders.

The same movement prompted a revival of Matariki, the Māori lunar new year, which was established as a nationwide public holiday in 2020.

Since assuming office after the 2023 election, Luxon’s coalition government has prompted fraught public debates about race. One was over a return to English names for government agencies, many of which had assumed Māori titles in recent years.

Another was over ending initiatives that offer priority to Māori, who lag behind other New Zealanders in most health, economic and justice statistics.

Protestors gathered outside Parliament in the capital, Wellington, this week to oppose the government’s plans to repeal a clause requiring recognition of children's Māori heritage from the law governing the child protection system.

A spokesperson for Burke, the Australian recipient of the controversial invitation, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he had known the meaning of the word Aotearoa since 1982, when it was referenced in the lyrics of a popular song by the New Zealand band Split Enz.

Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk contributed from Melbourne, Australia.

Protestors from the Māori iwi (tribe) Ngāpuhi and others gather outside the Parliament building in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Aug. 5 to protest the government's plans to remove recognition of a child's Māori heritage from the law governing the child protection system. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

Protestors from the Māori iwi (tribe) Ngāpuhi and others gather outside the Parliament building in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Aug. 5 to protest the government's plans to remove recognition of a child's Māori heritage from the law governing the child protection system. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

Protestors from the Māori iwi (tribe) Ngāpuhi gather outside the Parliament building in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Aug. 5 to protest the government's plans to remove recognition of a child's Māori heritage from the law governing the child protection system. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

Protestors from the Māori iwi (tribe) Ngāpuhi gather outside the Parliament building in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Aug. 5 to protest the government's plans to remove recognition of a child's Māori heritage from the law governing the child protection system. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

Protestors from the Māori iwi (tribe) Ngāpuhi and others gather outside the Parliament building in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Aug. 5 to protest the government’s plans to remove recognition of a child’s Māori heritage from the law governing the child protection system. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

Protestors from the Māori iwi (tribe) Ngāpuhi and others gather outside the Parliament building in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Aug. 5 to protest the government’s plans to remove recognition of a child’s Māori heritage from the law governing the child protection system. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

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Everything you need to know about the 2025 Sundance Film Festival

2025-01-23 00:08 Last Updated At:00:11

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — As many in the entertainment industry navigate the devastating effects of the California wildfires, some will soon be decamping to cleaner air in the mountains. The annual Sundance Film Festival begins Thursday in Park City, Utah.

The 41st edition of Robert Redford’s brainchild will, as always, be a year of discovery and discussion. There are timely films:

— “Free Leonard Peltier,” which will premiere just days after former President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of the Indigenous activist nearly half a century after he was imprisoned for the 1975 killings of two FBI agents.

— Oscar-winner Mstyslav Chernov’s“2000 Meters to Andriivka,” a joint production between The Associated Press and Frontline about an attempt to liberate an occupied territory in Ukraine

— Several films about trans rights including “Heightened Scrutiny,” about civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio. It's a topic even more pressing after President Donald Trump signed executive orders Monday rolling back protections for transgender people.

There are even some controversies brewing: “The Stringer,” from documentary filmmaker Bao Nguyen, calls into question who took the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Napalm Girl” photograph. Retired AP photographer Nick Ut and the AP, which conducted a six-month investigation into the allegation, are contesting it vigorously and lawyers have asked for it to be pulled from the program.

“The film is an investigation,” said Eugene Hernandez, the director of the festival, who is moving forward with plans to screen it. “I think it will be a really important conversation that will come out over the next few days after the film is seen by more people.”

Don’t worry, it’s not all heavy. There’s drama of course, even a film about starting over after a fire (“Rebuilding,” with Josh O’Connor), horror, satire, literary adaptations, comedy, documentaries about famous faces, and some that simply defy categorization.

“There’s some really funny stuff in the program,” Hernandez said. One of those Hernandez cited is “Bubble & Squeak,” about a married couple accused of smuggling cabbages into a nation where they’re banned.

For first time filmmakers, Sundance can be their chance to break through in a big way. That happened last year for “Dìdi” filmmaker Sean Wang. Some films that debuted last January are still in the awards conversation, like “A Real Pain” and “A Different Man.” For actors, the festival is both a casual respite to awards season glitz (snow boots are more likely on red carpets than high heels) and can be a chance to show audiences a new dimension of their talent.

“It’s a strong year of renewal for our artist community,” Hernandez said. “And we have a lot of really great voices and stories that we get to unveil in the coming days.”

Here’s everything you need to know:

Sundance runs from Jan. 23 through Feb. 2. There are about 90 features premiering across the 11 days, with screenings starting early in the morning through midnight. Award-winners will be announced on Jan. 31.

Stars with films premiering include Jennifer Lopez, Benedict Cumberbatch, Diego Luna, Conan O’Brien, Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Ayo Edebiri, Olivia Colman, André Holland, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, Bowen Yang, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Lily Gladstone, Dev Patel, Emily Watson, John Lithgow, Marlee Matlin, John Malkovich, Rose Byrne, Chloë Sevigny, Josh O’Connor, Ben Whishaw, Dylan O’Brien, Lili Reinhart and Willem Dafoe.

One of the greatest things about Sundance is that it’s often the under-the-radar movies that become the breakouts.

But some of the higher-profile premieres going into the festival include: Bill Condon’s “Kiss of the Spider-Woman,” starring Lopez; Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s documentary “SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)”; “Opus,” a horror about the cult of celebrity with Edebiri and John Malkovich; Andrew Ahn’s “The Wedding Banquet,” with Bowen Yang and Kelly Marie Tran; the war satire “Atropia,” with Alia Shawkat; “Pee-wee as Himself,” about the late Paul Reubens; “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore”; and Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman’s doc “The Alabama Solution,” about a cover-up in one of America’s most notorious prison systems.

Festival organizers have been in dialogue with filmmakers, staff, audiences and donors about the effects of the fires, supporting and accommodating where possible including pushing back deadlines to allow filmmakers more time to finish. The festival will also have a QR code displayed before screenings for information on sharing resources or contributing to relief efforts.

“As hard as the last week has been, this will be a moment to come together,” Hernandez said. “The community’s really responding to support those who need it most right now. I think that’s going to be a profound aspect of this year’s festival.”

For the most part, yes. Starting in 2027 the festival will no longer be primarily based in Park City. It may stay in Utah but would operate mainly out of Salt Lake City. Other finalists are Boulder, Colorado, and Cincinnati, Ohio. The Sundance Institute is expected to announce its final decision in the first quarter of 2025.

“Park City as the home of Sundance is such a special place,” Hernandez said. “I look at it optimistically because we have two more exciting years in this current configuration. I think we’re going to make the most of those two years and make them as memorable and meaningful as we can.”

Access to the movies premiering at Sundance doesn’t necessary require an expensive trip to Park City anymore. The festival has fully embraced an online component for many of their films.

What started as a necessary COVID-19 adjustment has become a vital part of the program. From Jan. 30 through Feb. 2, audiences can stream much of the program online. Prices start at $35 for a single film ticket and go up to $800 for unlimited access.

Otherwise, films that secure distribution can take anywhere from a few weeks to over a year to hit theaters or streaming services. Steven Soderbergh's “Presence,” which premiered last January, is just hitting theaters this week.

For more coverage of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival

The marquee of the Egyptian Theatre is shown Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

The marquee of the Egyptian Theatre is shown Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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