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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.
MTV Lebanon
5 days ago
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
New Zealand Parliament suspends 3 lawmakers who performed Māori haka in protest
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, last November to oppose a widely unpopular bill, now defeated, that they said would reverse Indigenous rights. But the protest drew global headlines and provoked months of fraught debate among lawmakers about what the consequences for the lawmakers' actions should be and whether New Zealand's Parliament welcomed or valued Māori culture — or felt threatened by it. A committee of the lawmakers' peers in April recommended the lengthy punishments in a report that said the lawmakers were not being punished for the haka itself, but for striding across the floor of the debating chamber towards their opponents while they did it. Maipi-Clarke Thursday rejected that, citing other instances where legislators have left their seats and approached their opponents without sanction. It was expected that the suspensions would be approved, because government parties have more seats in Parliament than the opposition and had the necessary votes to affirm them. But the punishment was so severe that Parliament Speaker Gerry Brownlee in April ordered a free-ranging debate among lawmakers and urged them to attempt to reach a consensus on what repercussions were appropriate. No such accord was reached Thursday. During hours of at times emotional speeches, government lawmakers rejected opposition proposals for lighter sanctions. There were suggestions that opposition lawmakers might extend the debate for days or even longer through filibuster-style speeches, but with the outcome already certain and no one's mind changed, all lawmakers agreed that the debate should end.
Euronews
5 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
New Zealand Parliament suspends lawmakers who performed Māori haka
New Zealand's parliament suspended three lawmakers on Thursday who performed a Māori haka in protest against a controversial proposed law that critics said would reverse indigenous rights. 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. Their political party, Te Pāti Māori, also known as the Māori Party, is a left-wing political group in New Zealand advocating for minority Māori rights. A parliamentary privilege committee recommended that the trio be suspended for acting in "a manner that could have the effect of intimidating a member of the House." Three days had been the longest ban for a lawmaker from New Zealand's Parliament prior to this, meaning the three-week suspension of Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi sets a new record. The three politicians performed a haka in Parliament in opposition of the widely unpopular Treaty Principles Bill which they said would be damaging to the rights of indigenous peoples. The bill has since been defeated. It sought to legally define the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which is the pact signed between Māori leaders and the British Crown during New Zealand's colonisation. More than 40,000 people protested outside parliament during the bill's first reading last year. The protest provoked months of debate among lawmakers about what the consequences of the Te Pāti Māori politicians' actions should be and whether New Zealand's Parliament welcomed or valued Māori culture, or felt threatened by it.
News18
5 days ago
- Politics
- News18
New Zealand Parliament Suspends 3 Māori Party Lawmakers For Haka Protest
Last Updated: Inside and outside Parliament, the haka has increasingly been welcomed as an important part of New Zealand life. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - Associated Press) Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : New Zealand First Published:
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
New Zealand Parliament suspends three lawmakers who performed Māori haka in protest
New Zealand legislators voted on Thursday (June 5, 2025) 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, last November to oppose a widely unpopular bill, now defeated, that they said would reverse Indigenous rights. But the protest drew global headlines and provoked months of fraught debate among lawmakers about what the consequences for the lawmakers' actions should be and whether New Zealand's Parliament welcomed or valued Māori culture — or felt threatened by it. A committee of the lawmakers' peers in April recommended the lengthy punishments in a report that said the lawmakers were not being punished for the haka itself, but for striding across the floor of the debating chamber towards their opponents while they did it. Ms. Maipi-Clarke on Thursday (June 5, 2025) rejected that, citing other instances where legislators have left their seats and approached their opponents without sanction. It was expected that the suspensions would be approved, because government parties have more seats in Parliament than the opposition and had the necessary votes to affirm them. But the punishment was so severe that Parliament Speaker Gerry Brownlee in April ordered a free-ranging debate among lawmakers and urged them to attempt to reach a consensus on what repercussions were appropriate. No such accord was reached on Thursday (June 5, 2025). During hours of at times emotional speeches, government lawmakers rejected opposition proposals for lighter sanctions. There were suggestions that Opposition lawmakers might extend the debate for days or even longer through filibuster-style speeches, but with the outcome already certain and no one's mind changed, all lawmakers agreed that the debate should end.
