Three New Zealand lawmakers suspended for performing Maori haka
The three lawmakers, from the Te Pti Mori party, performed the haka in November, to oppose a bill that would have defined the principles of New Zealand's founding document.
On Thursday, parliament voted to ban party leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi for 21 days. The previous longest ban from the country's parliament was three days.
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, New Zealand's youngest lawmaker at 22, was given a seven-day ban. All three will receive no pay during their suspensions.
'Parliament has sent a message to our mokopuna [future generations] that their Maori identity is a threat to New Zealand's democracy,' the party wrote on X. (DPA)
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