default-output-block.skip-main
National

'Jacinda should go to Ihumātao' - Tom Scott

There was a stand made at the awards with Rapper Tom Scott. Scott won one of the biggest accolades of the night, Best Hip Hop Artist, and used his acceptance speech to deliver a strong message to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, urging her to visit Ihumātao. Scott isn't the first to criticize Adern on her decision not to visit the sacred place, he believes that she will eventually do the right thing.

“We just flushed it, kinda like the history they hushed with the musket kinda like the ancient Māori customs they crushed it,” Tom Scott.

This is Tom Scott champion NZ rapper, spitting out some lyrics.

Tom Scott says, “The maunga down there, once you go down there, and realise why people value that piece of land, you feel different and you have an emotional reaction rather than a political reaction .”

His speech took place in an ad break and was not televised, but those who were at the awards heard what Tom had to say, calling the Prime Minister out saying "Jacinda should go to Ihumātao,"

“She should go down to Ihumātao, and that we're still standing on stolen land, like if you’ve seen the hoodie that got printed, that's all I wanted to make a statement about, and if I have anything to say as a Pākeha living in this country is that!”

“I never ever cared about a flag bruv, I own no land that I stand on,” Tom Scott.

Tom visited Ihumātao earlier this year, and knew straight away the importance of the place, from a sacred perspective and the significance, that the area has for mana whenua who live there.

“Land of the long line of road cones, home of the homeless hole in the ozone,” Tom Scott.

“I had to look her in the eye the whole time, because she was sitting right across from me, and she's the homie and I think she's cool, but I had to say something while they got me on TV.”

He definitely didn't bite his tongue, his statement was heard throughout the country.