Ma¯ori Santa steals the show
in 1843 – showed a scene of people drinking, they said.
‘‘One hundred and 75 years after Sir Henry Cole’s first card, the depiction of alcohol on greeting cards is commonplace and while they may not depict children drinking, the messages they promote about drinking are still controversial,’’ they wrote.
Today, alcohol was a common theme for greeting cards.
‘‘Illustrations and texts portray alcohol as enjoyable and fun, and can range from a glass of champagne with the word ‘cheers’ to those that are more excessive and encourage binge drinking. These cards reflect and reinforce a social attitude that excess alcohol consumption is acceptable.’’ The big guy with the white beard in the red suit had to play second fiddle to ‘‘Ma¯ori Santa’’ Hana Ko¯ko¯ at a Wellington festival.
The two stars of the show shared equal billing at Aro Valley’s Summer Sounds on Saturday but it appeared that Rob Herewini’s Hana Ko¯ko¯ was the one who most had come to see.
Herewini said he had been looking forward to attending the Wellington event and it was great to get the city’s support.
‘‘I couldn’t believe it, actually. It was certainly different from what was happening in Nelson.’’
In the Nelson parade, Herewini wore a red korowai (cloak) in place of the traditional red and white Santa suit.
That change sparked complaints from many parents.
‘‘I’d been living in Nelson for 39 to 40 years and I was quite disappointed by some of the reaction to me being Hana Ko¯ko¯ but, at the end of the day, people have their own thoughts and their own free speech.’’
His Christmas message on Saturday was: ‘‘Aroha ki te tangata – everybody love everybody’’ and have a safe and happy holiday.
Hana Ko¯ko¯’s invitation to Summer Sounds came about as a reaction to the negative sentiment displayed in Nelson and a desire by some of the event organisers to let Herewini know that the negativity was not typical of New Zealand.