TikTok streamer Paaka Davis performed a mighty haka and gave a massive shout-out to the Toitū Te Tiriti O Waitangi protesters who rallied together all over the motu on Tuesday.
Last night, Sydney, Australia hosted the annual TikTok AU/NZ awards ceremony. The show was live-streamed to over 600k people tuning in around the world.
While accepting his award for ‘TikTok Live Creator of the Year’, the Māori live streamer took his opportunity to tautoko the efforts of the protesters who have been pushing back against the government's stance on topics like co-governance and the Treaty of Waitangi.
He began by performing ‘Toia Mai’ onstage.
“Toitū Te Tiriti, nei ra te mihi, nei ra te mihi ki oku tautoko tо̄ku whanau," he began.
“A big message out to all my supporters, my family and shout out to everybody who was at the protests [on Tuesday]. Shout out to everybody who puts their lives on the line, whether that’s on live streaming or if that’s making video content,” Paaka added.
“I’ve got a lot of love and appreciation for you all, just keep going, just keep doing your thing and don’t be afraid to keep doing your thing. Mauri Ora!”
Paaka wasn’t the only Kiwi winner of the night with superstar creator Judah Metu-Teaukura (@judaxx) taking home the first ever ‘New Zealand TikTok Creator of the Year’ award.
“Kia ora e te whānau, I want to thank everyone back in Aotearoa, I’d like to celebrate everyone back home, thank you,” Judah said during her winning speech.
It’s epic to see Te Reo spoken on a stage overseas and to a worldwide audience.
Paaka’s speech shone the same light as award-winning actress Rena Owen’s, whose message was to “hold strong” during her powerful speech backing Toitū Te Tiriti O Waitangi at the NZTV Awards on Tuesday night.
The ‘Once Were Warriors’ actress gave a nod to her tupuna, Te Ruki Kawiti, who was one of the first to sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi back in 1840.
