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Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
New Zealand parliament confirms unprecedented lengthy suspension of Indigenous lawmakers
FILE PHOTO: Police stand guard as protesters gather on the grounds of New Zealand Parliament, as they demonstrate against what they consider as government encroachment on freedoms, in Wellington, New Zealand, August 23, 2022. REUTERS/Lucy Craymer/File Photo WELLINGTON - New Zealand's parliament agreed on historically lengthy suspensions for three Indigenous lawmakers who last year performed a haka, a traditional Maori dance, disrupting the reading of a controversial bill. A parliamentary privileges committee in May recommended the suspension of the three Te Pati Maori parliamentarians for acting in "a manner that could have the effect of intimidating a member of the house." The three performed the haka last November ahead of a vote on a controversial bill that would have reinterpreted a 185-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori that still guides the country's policy and legislation. The government voted through the suspensions, which will see Te Pati Maori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi stood down from parliament for 21 days, and representative Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke for seven days. While the members are suspended, they will not be paid or be able to vote on legislation. Suspending lawmakers is rare in New Zealand's parliament with only three members 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. Maipi-Clarke told parliament ahead of the vote that the suspension was an effort to stop Maori 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. 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. "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," Collins said. 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," said Webb. The haka was traditionally a way for Maori to welcome visiting tribes or to invigorate warriors ahead of battle. It is now performed at important events as well as ahead of matches by New Zealand's rugby teams. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
New Zealand parliament confirms unprecedented lengthy suspension of Indigenous lawmakers
By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand's parliament agreed on historically lengthy suspensions for three Indigenous lawmakers who last year performed a haka, a traditional Maori dance, disrupting the reading of a controversial bill. A parliamentary privileges committee in May recommended the suspension of the three Te Pati Maori parliamentarians for acting in "a manner that could have the effect of intimidating a member of the house." The three performed the haka last November ahead of a vote on a controversial bill that would have reinterpreted a 185-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori that still guides the country's policy and legislation. The government voted through the suspensions, which will see Te Pati Maori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi stood down from parliament for 21 days, and representative Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke for seven days. While the members are suspended, they will not be paid or be able to vote on legislation. Suspending lawmakers is rare in New Zealand's parliament with only three members 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. Maipi-Clarke told parliament ahead of the vote that the suspension was an effort to stop Maori 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. 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. "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," Collins said. 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," said Webb. The haka was traditionally a way for Maori to welcome visiting tribes or to invigorate warriors ahead of battle. It is now performed at important events as well as ahead of matches by New Zealand's rugby teams.
The Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
New Zealand parliament confirms unprecedented lengthy suspension of Indigenous lawmakers
FILE PHOTO: Police stand guard as protesters gather on the grounds of New Zealand Parliament, as they demonstrate against what they consider as government encroachment on freedoms, in Wellington, New Zealand, August 23, 2022. REUTERS/Lucy Craymer/File Photo WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand's parliament agreed on historically lengthy suspensions for three Indigenous lawmakers who last year performed a haka, a traditional Maori dance, disrupting the reading of a controversial bill. A parliamentary privileges committee in May recommended the suspension of the three Te Pati Maori parliamentarians for acting in "a manner that could have the effect of intimidating a member of the house." The three performed the hakalast November ahead of a vote on a controversial bill that would have reinterpreted a 185-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori that still guides the country's policy and legislation. The government voted through the suspensions, which will see Te Pati Maori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi stood down from parliament for 21 days, and representative Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke for seven days. While the members are suspended, they will not be paid or be able to vote on legislation. Suspending lawmakers is rare in New Zealand's parliament with only three members 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. Maipi-Clarke told parliament ahead of the vote that the suspension was an effort to stop Maori 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. 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. "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," Collins said. 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," said Webb. The haka was traditionally a way for Maori to welcome visiting tribes or to invigorate warriors ahead of battle. It is now performed at important events as well as ahead of matches by New Zealand's rugby teams. (Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NZ central bank cuts rates 25 bps, flags more easing amid rising global risks
By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand's central bank cut its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 3.25% and flagged a slightly deeper easing cycle than it forecast three months ago, underlining the growing risks to economic growth from a sharp shift in U.S. trade policies. The decision was in line with a Reuters poll where all but one of the 30 economists surveyed forecast the Reserve Bank of New Zealand would cut the cash rate for the sixth successive meeting. The central bank has slashed rates by 225 basis points since August, with lower inflation giving policymakers leeway to reduce borrowing costs as the economy faces fresh global risks from U.S. President Donald Trump's international trade war. 'Inflation is within the target band, and the Committee is well placed to respond to domestic and international developments to maintain price stability over the medium term,' the RBNZ said in a statement accompanying its policy review. The central bank is now forecasting the cash rate will be at 2.92% in the fourth quarter of 2025 and at 2.85% in the first quarter of 2026, a slightly deeper easing cycle than had been projected February. However, the decision to cut the cash rate by 25 basis points was not unanimous with one of the five members of the committee voting to hold the cash rate at 3.5%. "The case for lowering the OCR (official cash rate) to 3.25 percent highlighted that CPI inflation is in the target range and there is significant spare capacity in the economy," the minutes from the RBNZ's meeting said. The central bank warned that recent developments in the international economy, led by uncertainty over U.S. tariffs, are expected to reduce demand at home and global economic growth. A global front-runner in withdrawing pandemic-era stimulus, the RBNZ lifted rates 525 basis points between October 2021 and September 2023 to curb inflation in the most aggressive tightening since the official cash rate was introduced in 1999. The punishing borrowing costs, however, took a heavy toll on demand and tipped the economy into recession last year. While, the economy has emerged from the slump, growth remains weak and is being further hampered by a slowdown in the global economy and the government's tight fiscal strategy. Markets expect lower inflation will give the RBNZ sufficient leeway to cut the cash rate at least once more this year. New Zealand's annual inflation remains within the 1%-3% target band at 2.5% but the central bank is forecasting it will increase to 2.7% in the third quarter.
Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
New Zealand defers vote on rare suspension of Indigenous lawmakers
FILE PHOTO: Te Pati Maori co-leader Rawiri Waititi (r) takes part in a march to demonstrate against the incoming government and its policies, in Wellington, New Zealand, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Lucy Craymer/File Photo SYDNEY - The New Zealand government on Tuesday deferred a vote over the rare suspension of three Indigenous lawmakers from parliament for performing a haka, the Maori ceremonial dance, during the reading of a contentious bill last year. A parliamentary privileges committee last week recommended temporarily suspending three Te Pati Maori parliamentarians for acting in "a manner that could have the effect of intimidating a member of the house." The Te Pati Maori members performed the haka last November ahead of a vote on a controversial bill that would have reinterpreted a 184-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori that still guides policy and legislation. Co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi should be suspended for 21 days and representative Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke for seven days, the committee said. Chris Bishop, the leader of the house, said delaying the vote would allow the suspended members to participate in the federal budget on Thursday. The vote will take place following the budget, he said. "Deferring consideration of the debate means all members will have the opportunity to debate and vote on the budget," Bishop said. Several protesters gathered outside the parliament in Wellington for the vote over the suspensions, and New Zealand media reported they might perform a haka in support of the Maori lawmakers. Judith Collins, who heads the privileges committee and serves as attorney-general, told parliament that the haka forced the speaker to suspend proceedings for 30 minutes and that no permission had been sought to perform it. "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," Collins said. Suspending lawmakers is rare in New Zealand's parliament, with the last occasion in 1987, according to media reports. The opposition Labour party called for a compromise and proposed censure instead of suspension. The committee's proposal is "totally out of line with existing parliamentary practice and is disproportionate to the allegations," opposition leader Chris Hipkins said. "We have never seen a sanction of this nature in New Zealand's history before ... it is disproportionate. A sanction is appropriate, this level of sanction simply is not." The haka was traditionally a way for Maori to welcome visiting tribes or to invigorate warriors ahead of battle. It is now performed at important events as well as ahead of matches by New Zealand's rugby teams. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
