@article{Rangiwai_2021, title={Representation, COVID-19, and failed metaphor: A critical analysis of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board vaccine booklet}, volume={14}, url={https://www.tekaharoa.com/index.php/tekaharoa/article/view/363}, DOI={10.24135/tekaharoa.v17i1.363}, abstractNote={<p>This paper will critically analyse the Bay of Plenty District Health Board’s (BOPDHB) controversial vaccine booklet, which featured mataora-adorned cartoon images of the COVID-19 virus. This imagery caused a furore with anecdotal evidence from social media suggesting that Māori were outraged by the portrayal of Māori in this way.</p> <p>This paper will offer two arguments. The first argument builds on Hokowhitu’s (2001) work, which deconstructed representations of Māori as animalistic, savage-barbarian, physical-unintelligent, mythical, bewildered-childlike, and romanticised-noble. The first argument will extend Hokowhitu’s (2001) analysis by deconstructing the representation of Māori as disease-virus. While it is impossible to understand the BOPDHB’s intentions, the second argument posits that the objective might have been to use the concept of taniwha as a metaphor for COVID-19. Though this argument is significantly weaker than the first, it still warrants some exploration, even if only to provide a sense of balance to this paper.</p&gt;}, number={1}, journal={Te Kaharoa}, author={Rangiwai, Byron}, year={2021}, month={Aug.} }