A Maori Party MP has been suspended from New Zealand’s Parliament for performing a Haka, a traditional Maori war chant.
The New Zealand Parliament was suspended on Thursday after Maori Party MPs tore up a copy of a bill on tribal rights and performed the Haka during a vote on the legislation. The bill, proposed by the libertarian ACT party, seeks to narrow the interpretation of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which governs relations between Maori and non-Maori New Zealanders. The treaty, which guarantees certain rights to Maori, has been the subject of debate for years, with some arguing that it unfairly discriminates against non-Maori.
During the vote, MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke tore up the bill and broke into a Haka. Her colleagues, opposition lawmakers, and spectators in the gallery joined in the chant, prompting the Speaker to suspend the hearing and remove Maipi-Clarke from Parliament for a day. Despite the Maori Party’s opposition, the bill passed and will now move forward to public consultation. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon opposed the bill, but his National Party voted to support it under an agreement with ACT.
🇳🇿 Māori MPs performing the Haka in New Zealand Parliament ripping apart a bill redefining the Treaty of Waitangi.
The Treaty of Waitangi is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos.
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo)
This isn’t the first time Maori Party MPs have performed Hakas in Parliament. In 2021, party co-leader Rawiri Waititi was suspended for performing the chant after a National Party MP argued against a separate healthcare system for the Maori community.