Running Shoe Brand Hoka Accused of Misappropriating Māori Culture

Popular sportswear company Hoka has been accused of failing to acknowledge the Māori origins of its name by Indigenous intellectual property experts in New Zealand, making it the latest in a string of global brands to be accused of misappropriating Māori culture.

The French American firm, which specialises in running shoes, takes its name from the Māori word hoka, meaning “to fly.” Its logo, a bird in flight, mirrors the word’s meaning, as does its tagline “fly, human, fly.”

In its early days, the company attributed its name — which was then Hoka One One, loosely meaning “to fly over the earth” in Māori — to the “ancient Māori language.” That attribution disappeared from its “about” section after Deckers Brands took ownership in 2012. The brand now makes no mention of the name’s origin on its website.

“If they don’t want to associate themselves as being a Māori word — they need to stop using it,” said Lynell Tuffery Huria, who is recognised as the first Māori patent attorney and is a leading expert on Indigenous intellectual property rights.

“Why are you using that word if you’re not prepared to acknowledge its whakapapa [origin] and its history and to engage with the Indigenous people from which the word comes from?” she asked.

Hoka has not responded to The Guardian’s requests for comment.

Māori words, concepts and motifs — be they tattoo, design or art — are often rich in meaning and history, and their use is frequently governed by a set of protocols, or tikanga. Not observing tikanga risks undermining Māori culture, and puts brands at risk of being challenged, Tuffery Huria said.

In recent years, a number of international brands have faced criticism for using Māori words and imagery. In 2020, Formula One driver Fernando Alonso’s clothing line was accused of cashing in on Māori culture. A year later, a UK carpet company was criticised for using Māori culture to sell carpet. Gaming companies have come under fire for using Māori tattoos on their characters, while social media companies have faced outrage for creating Māori facial tattoo filters.

In New Zealand, Air New Zealand prompted outrage when it attempted to trademark an image of the Māori greeting “Kia Ora” in 2019. That same year, a cruise ship company was forced to apologise after its staff dressed up in wildly inaccurate Māori costumes to perform a greeting for its guests. Beer companies have similarly faced backlash for using Māori ancestors on their bottles.

Tuffery Huria is not against brands using Māori words, as long as they have followed best practice, including consulting with Indigenous communities.

“We want to share our culture, we want to share our language, we want to share our narratives … but it needs to be respected and protected in a manner that’s consistent with how we view it.”

Two of Hoka’s shoe styles — Arahi and Hopara — also take their names from Māori. Hopara should be spelled hōpara, and means “to explore.” Arahi can mean “to lead” and, in some contexts, its use is considered sacred, says Dr. Karaitiana Taiuru, a leading intellectual property rights expert.

“By putting something sacred on your feet, or on your shoes, it’s kind of saying you have got no respect for the culture. That’s quite offensive,” Taiuru said, adding that it would be akin to putting an image of a royal family member on the bottom of his shoe.

A Hoka video on social media from 2019 shows a Māori musician teaching viewers how to pronounce the brand’s name correctly, during Māori language week. But in the company’s more recent videos, the word Hoka and it’s Māori-named shoe styles, are mispronounced.

Hoka should, at a minimum, pronounce its own name correctly, Taiuru said.

“By not doing it, that shows a huge amount of disrespect.”

There is a very fine line between appropriation and appreciation of cultures, Taiuru said, and the best way brands such as Hoka can honour Indigenous cultures is to consult with them.

“If you’re going to use someone else’s culture for your own product, you should at least know what the value of that cultural item is and acknowledge it.”

By Eva Corlett

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