Latest news with #HanaRāwhitiMaipiClarke
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
New Zealand MP trio handed record suspensions over haka protest
New Zealand 's parliament temporarily barred three Māori MPs for performing the haka to protest a controversial law, resulting in record suspensions for Rawiri Waititi, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke. The suspensions, the longest in the country's history, were criticised by the suspended MPs, who declared that "Māori would not be silenced," and by the Labour party, which called the decision inconsistent with New Zealand's democracy. The MPs performed the haka in parliament in November before a vote on a bill that would have reinterpreted the 185-year-old Treaty of Waitangi, with video of the protest going viral. Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke criticised the suspension as an effort to silence the Māori in parliament. Judith Collins, the committee chair, defended the decision, stating it was about following parliamentary rules.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Three New Zealand MPs suspended for performing haka in parliament
Māori Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer were handed a suspension for 21 days while New Zealand's youngest MP, Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, was barred for seven days. The suspensions marked the longest period any lawmaker has been barred from parliament in the country's history. Suspensions of MPs are already rare in New Zealand and a three-day suspension has been previously handed. Only three MPs have been suspended in the past 10 years, according to New Zealand parliamentary services. The suspended MPs said 'Māori would not be silenced'. The opposition Labour party said the decision was inconsistent with New Zealand's democracy. The three MPs performed the haka last November in parliament ahead of a vote on a bill, now defeated, that would have reinterpreted the 185-year-old Treaty of Waitangi, which was signed between the British and Indigenous Māori tribe. The video of the protest, a ceremonial Māori dance made world-famous by the country's men's rugby team, the All Blacks, went viral across the internet and made international headlines. The footage showed Ms Maipi-Clarke, 22, ripping apart a copy of the bill after rising from her chair and performing the haka. Ms Maipi-Clarke was then joined by Mr Waititi and Ms Ngarewa-Packer in the chamber floor as they chanted 'Ka Mate', the chant often performed by the All Blacks rugby team before games. Lawmakers who decried the performance said the legislators from Te Pati Māori, the Māori Party, left their seats and strode across the floor toward government politicians and disrupted the vote on a proposed law. Ms Maipi-Clarke criticised the suspension and said it was an effort to silence the Māori in parliament. "A member can swear at another member, a member of cabinet can lay their hands on a staff member, a member can drive up the steps of parliament, a member can swear in parliament, and yet they weren't given five minutes of suspension," she said. "Yet when we stand up for the country's foundational document, we get punished with the most severe consequences. "Are our voices too loud for this house? Is that the reason why we are being silenced? Are our voices shaking the core foundation of this house? The house we had no voice in building … We will never be silenced and we will never be lost," she said. In a dramatic display, Mr Waititi held up a noose as he said the decision means 'you've traded the noose for legislation'. "In my maiden speech, I talked about one of our [ancestors] who was hung in the gallows of Mt Eden Prison, wrongfully accused," he said. "The silencing of us today is a reminder of the silencing of our ancestors of the past, and it continues to happen. "Well, we will not be silenced." Judith Collins, the committee chair, said the behaviour was egregious, disruptive and potentially intimidating, defending the decision. "It's not about the haka … it is about following the rules of parliament that we are all obliged to follow and that we all pledged to follow," Ms Collins said. Labour parliamentarian Duncan Webb said the decision was "inconsistent with the fundamental nature of this democracy". "This decision is wildly out of step with any other decision of the Privileges Committee," Mr Webb said.
ABC News
5 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Māori Party MPs receive record bans from NZ parliament over haka protest
New Zealand's parliament has handed record suspensions to three Indigenous Māori MPs after they performed a haka to protest a controversial bill last year. Māori Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer were banned from parliament for 21 days, the longest-ever suspension, while New Zealand's youngest MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke was suspended for seven days. The three performed the haka last November ahead of a vote on a bill that would have reinterpreted the 185-year-old Treaty of Waitangi between the British and Indigenous Māori that still guides the country's policy and legislation. In footage widely shared around the world, Ms Maipi-Clarke, 22, rose to her feet, ripped up the bill and started performing a protest haka. She was joined by Mr Waititi and Ms Ngarewa-Packer, who strode on the chamber floor chanting the Ka Mate haka famously performed by the All Blacks rugby team. Ms Ngarewa-Packer was also accused of pointing her fingers in the shape of a gun at the leader of the right-wing ACT Party, David Seymour, who had proposed the bill. The trio were hauled before parliament's Privileges Committee, but refused to take part in the hearing. Supported by New Zealand's three governing coalition parties, the bans were voted on and accepted on Thursday. Ms Maipi-Clarke responded by saying Māori would not be silenced. "A member can swear at another member, a member of cabinet can lay their hands on a staff member, a member can drive up the steps of parliament, a member can swear in parliament, and yet they weren't given five minutes of suspension," she said. "Yet when we stand up for the country's foundational document, we get punished with the most severe consequences." She told parliament ahead of the vote that the suspension was an effort to stop Māori from making themselves heard in parliament. "Are our voices too loud for this house? Is that the reason why we are being silenced? Are our voices shaking the core foundation of this house? The house we had no voice in building … We will never be silenced and we will never be lost," she said. Mr Waititi held up a noose as he rose to speak in defiance of the ban on Thursday. "In my maiden speech, I talked about one of our [ancestors] who was hung in the gallows of Mt Eden Prison, wrongfully accused," he said. "The silencing of us today is a reminder of the silencing of our ancestors of the past, and it continues to happen. While the members are suspended, they will not be paid or be able to vote on legislation. Suspending MPs is rare in New Zealand's parliament, and only three have been suspended in the past 10 years, according to New Zealand parliamentary services. Before Thursday, the longest suspension was for three days, according to New Zealand representatives who spoke earlier in the day. Judith Collins, who heads the Privileges Committee and serves as attorney-general, had previously told parliament that the haka forced the speaker to suspend proceedings for 30 minutes and that no permission had been sought to perform it. The opposition Labour party called for a compromise and proposed censure instead of suspension. Labour considers the suspension to be "inconsistent with the fundamental nature of this democracy", Labour parliamentarian Duncan Webb said on Thursday. "This decision is wildly out of step with any other decision of the Privileges Committee," Mr Webb said. The parliamentary committee panel members were sharply divided over the haka protest and the lengthy punishments were advanced only because the government has more MPs in the parliament than the opposition. Inside and outside parliament, the haka has increasingly been welcomed as an important part of New Zealand life. The sacred chant can be a challenge to the viewer but is not violent. As Māori language and culture have become part of mainstream New Zealand in recent years, haka appear in a range of cultural, somber and celebratory settings. They have also been performed in parliament to welcome the passage of high-profile laws. Some who decried the protest haka in parliament cited its timing, with Ms Maipi-Clarke beginning the chant as votes were being tallied and causing a brief suspension of proceedings. She has privately apologised for the disruption to parliament's speaker, she said on Thursday. Some MPs urged their peers to consider rewriting rules about what members could do in parliament to recognise Māori cultural protocols as accepted forms of protest. One cited changes to allow breastfeeding in the debating chamber as evidence the institution had amended rules before. Thursday's debate capped a fraught episode for race relations in New Zealand, beginning with the controversial bill that the Māori Party MPs opposed. The bill, which was defeated in parliament, sought to reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi and put the new interpretation to a public vote. It was widely seen as an attack on Māori because for more than five decades the treaty has been used to enshrine Māori rights into law. The Treaty Principles Bill sparked massive protests across New Zealand, including in a hikoi — or march — of nearly 40,000 people arriving on the steps of parliament in late November. The Māori Party, as well as other community members, have been central to organising those protests, as well as resisting the proposal inside parliament. ABC/wires
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
New Zealand Parliament suspends 3 Māori Party lawmakers for haka protest
New Zealand lawmakers Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, top left, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, bottom left, and Rawiri Waititi, bottom right, watch as other legislators debate their proposed bans in parliament in Wellington on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay) WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand legislators voted Thursday to enact record suspensions from Parliament for three lawmakers who performed a Māori haka to protest a proposed law. Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban and the leaders of her political party, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, were barred for 21 days. Three days had been the longest ban for a lawmaker from New Zealand's Parliament before. The lawmakers from Te Pāti Māori, the Māori Party, performed the haka, a chanting dance of challenge, in November to oppose a widely unpopular bill, now defeated, that they said would reverse Indigenous rights. The protest drew global headlines and provoked months of fraught debate among lawmakers about what the consequences for the lawmakers' actions should be and the place of Māori culture in Parliament. Why the punishment was so strict A committee of the lawmakers' peers in April recommended the lengthy bans. It said the lawmakers were not being punished for the haka, but for striding across the floor of the debating chamber toward their opponents while doing it. Judith Collins, the committee chair, said the lawmakers' behavior was egregious, disruptive and potentially intimidating. Maipi-Clarke, 22, rejected that description Thursday, citing other instances when legislators have left their seats and approached opponents without sanction. The suspended legislators said they are being treated more harshly than others because they are Māori. 'I came into this house to give a voice to the voiceless. Is that the real issue here?' Maipi-Clarke asked Parliament. 'Is that the real intimidation here? Are our voices too loud for this house?' Why this haka was controversial Inside and outside Parliament, the haka has increasingly been welcomed as an important part of New Zealand life. The sacred chant can be a challenge to the viewer but is not violent. As Māori language and culture have become part of mainstream New Zealand in recent years, haka appear in a range of cultural, somber and celebratory settings. They also have rung out in Parliament to welcome the passage of high-profile laws. Some who decried the protest haka in Parliament cited its timing, with Maipi-Clarke beginning the chant as votes were being tallied and causing a brief suspension of proceedings. She has privately apologized for the disruption to Parliament's Speaker, she said Thursday. A few lawmakers urged their peers to consider rewriting rules about what lawmakers could do in Parliament to recognize Māori cultural protocols as accepted forms of protest. One cited changes to allow breastfeeding in the debating chamber as evidence the institution had amended rules before. Who approved the suspensions Normally the parliamentary committee that decides on punishments for errant lawmakers is in agreement on what should happen to them. But panel members were sharply divided over the haka protest and the lengthy punishments were advanced only because the government has more legislators in Parliament than the opposition. One party in the government bloc wanted even longer suspensions and had asked the committee if the Māori party lawmakers could be jailed. Most in opposition rejected any punishment beyond the one-day ban Maipi-Clarke already served. Speaker Gerry Brownlee urged lawmakers last month to negotiate a consensus and ordered a free-ranging debate that would continue until all agreed to put the sanctions to a vote. But no such accord was reached after hours of occasionally emotional speeches in which opposition lawmakers accused the government of undermining democracy by passing such a severe punishment on its opponents. While the bans were certain to pass, even as the debate began Thursday it remained unclear whether opposition lawmakers would filibuster to prevent the suspensions from reaching a vote. By evening, with no one's mind changed, all lawmakers agreed the debate should end. Every government lawmaker voted for the punishments, while all opposition members voted against them. The law that prompted the protest Thursday's debate capped a fraught episode for race relations in New Zealand, beginning with the controversial bill that the Māori Party lawmakers opposed. The measures would have rewritten principles in the country's founding document, a treaty between Māori tribal leaders and representatives of the British Crown signed at the time New Zealand was colonized. The bill's authors were chagrined by moves from Parliament and the courts in recent decades to enshrine the Treaty of Waitangi's promises. Opponents warned of constitutional crisis if the law was passed and tens of thousands of people marched to Parliament last November to oppose it. Despite growing recognition for the treaty, Māori remain disadvantaged on most social and economic metrics compared to non-Māori New Zealanders. Charlotte Graham-mclay, The Associated Press
CNN
5 days ago
- Health
- CNN
5 things to know for June 5: Travel ban, Israel-Hamas war, Universities, Manhunt, Oil spill
New Zealand legislators voted today to suspend three lawmakers from Parliament who performed a Māori haka last November in protest of a proposed law. Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban and the leaders of her political party, Te Pāti Māori (the Māori Party), Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, were barred for 21 days. Prior to this, the longest ban for a lawmaker from New Zealand's Parliament was three days. The widely unpopular treaty bill, which the suspended lawmakers said would reverse Indigenous rights, has already been defeated. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation last night to ban travel from 12 countries to the US, citing the need to protect the country from 'foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats.' The travel ban, which will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on June 9, will restrict the entry of nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar (also known as Burma), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. People from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will face a partial restriction. During his first term, Trump barred travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations from coming to the US. That policy was challenged in court before President Joe Biden repealed it in 2021. The US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an 'immediate, unconditional and permanent' ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the 'unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.' The US was the only council member nation to oppose the resolution on Wednesday. As for humanitarian aid, a controversial organization backed by the US and Israel issued a 24-hour pause on aid after Palestinians en route to the distribution sites came under fire. Earlier today, the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages kidnapped by Hamas were returned to Israel. Judy Weinstein-Haggai, 70, and Gadi Haggai, 72, were killed near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Their remains were recovered during a military operation. President Trump continued his feud with Ivy League schools on Wednesday by signing a proclamation to suspend international visas for new students at Harvard University. The move came after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to not make any changes to Harvard's international student visa program indefinitely. The administration has demanded that Harvard change its hiring and admission requirements, eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and alter rules for on-campus protests. But the school has resisted those orders and filed a lawsuit claiming the government's actions violate the First Amendment. Harvard wasn't the only target of the Trump administration's ire on Wednesday. The Department of Education also threatened Columbia University's accreditation for allegedly tolerating antisemitism on campus. Accreditation is needed for students to gain access to federal money, including grants and loans. Columbia said it was 'aware of the concerns raised' and had already addressed them. A manhunt is underway for a person suspected of committing a triple homicide. Authorities are searching for Travis Decker, 32, a former Army soldier with 'extensive training' who is wanted for the kidnapping and murder of his children. Last Friday, the mother of his three daughters, ages 9, 8 and 5, reported that Decker had not returned them following a planned visit. His pickup truck was discovered, unoccupied, on Monday near a campground west of Leavenworth, Washington. The girls' bodies were found about 75 to 100 yards away from the vehicle, The Seattle Times reported. A reward of up to $20,000 has been offered for information leading to Decker's arrest. An estimated 2,000 gallons of dyed diesel have stained part of Baltimore's waterfront red. According to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott, the fuel originated at a Johns Hopkins Hospital facility in East Baltimore. When Hopkins reported the spill on Wednesday morning, the facility estimated it was 100 gallons. Seven hours later, that amount was increased to about 2,000 gallons. Emergency crews from nearly a dozen state and city agencies have been working through the night with the US Coast Guard to remove the red-tinted fuel from the water. Hi, moon. It's me, Resilience. Can I come for a visit?Resilience, an uncrewed lunar lander developed by Japan-based Ispace, will attempt to touch down in the moon's Mare Frigoris region at around 3 p.m. ET today. Pornhub exits FranceAdult entertainment company Aylo has blocked users in France from accessing Pornhub, YouPorn and Redtube because it objects to a new law requiring pornographic sites to verify the age of their users. Doped athletes aren't welcomeThe governing body for all aquatic sports has introduced a ban on individuals who participate in a controversial new competition that allows athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs. Check your freezersThe Food Safety Inspection Service announced that some raw ground beef products sold at Whole Foods Market may be contaminated with E. coli. 'Back to the Future' stars reuniteActors Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Harry Waters Jr. recently appeared in a video to ask fans and collectors to help them track down a piece of movie memorabilia that went missing about 40 years ago. Wickedly excitedA trailer for the sequel to the 2024 hit movie 'Wicked' has dropped and it's sure to thrill Ozians everywhere. The new film, 'Wicked: For Good,' will soar into theaters on November 21. 20,500That's how many people were evacuated in Cologne, Germany, yesterday after officials discovered three massive, unexploded bombs from World War II. It was the city's largest evacuation since the war. 'My career in public health and vaccinology started with a deep-seated desire to help the most vulnerable members of our population, and that is not something I am able to continue doing in this role.' — Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, a CDC official who oversaw agency recommendations for Covid-19 vaccines. She resigned last Friday, the same day the HHS announced it was removing the CDC's recommendation for pregnant women and healthy children to get Covid-19 vaccines. Check your local forecast here>>> Discover plants that only bloom after a burn In South Africa's Cape Floral Kingdom, two-thirds of its plant species grow nowhere else on Earth.
