Latest news with #TikangaMāori
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Te Pāti Māori MPs' Haka sparks debate on Māori rights in Parliament
By abstaining from a New Zealand Parliament Privileges Committee hearing on their haka protest against the Treaty Principles Bill , the Te Pāti Māori MPs have highlighted the tension between cultural expression and legislative protocols. Co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, alongside MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, submitted written statements to the committee on April 23, citing a "lack of procedural fairness" and a disregard for tikanga Māori as reasons for their absence. Tikanga Māori means the traditional ways, rules, and values that guide how Māori people live and interact with others. 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Shooter Action MMO Crossout Play Now Undo Their requests for a joint hearing, inclusion of expert testimony from tikanga authority Sir Pou Temara, and legal representation were reportedly denied without explanation. The MPs defended their November 2024 haka as a constitutionally protected form of political expression, responding to what they described as "the worst potential legislative breach of Te Tiriti(Māori name for the Treaty of Waitangi ) in our generation." They emphasized that the haka is not merely a performance but a profound expression of identity, protest, and ancestral connection, and the permission for the haka was secured from Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Te Āti Awa, aligning with tikanga protocols. Live Events The Treaty Principles Bill, introduced by the ACT Party, aimed to redefine the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, a foundational document signed in 1840 between Māori chiefs and the British Crown. Critics argued that the bill threatened Māori rights and sovereignty, leading to widespread opposition, including a massive protest march in Wellington. The bill was ultimately voted down on its second reading in April 2025. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters criticized Te Pāti Māori's plans to hold an independent inquiry into the matter, labeling it a "political carnival." As the Privileges Committee deliberates on potential sanctions, the broader conversation about the place of tikanga Māori in governance continues to evolve.
RNZ News
22-04-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Te Pāti Māori MPs will not attend Privileges Committee hearing, citing lack of fairness and disregard to tikanga
Te Pāti Māori's Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, performs a haka, during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill, in Parliament, on 14 November, 2024. Photo: RNZ/ Samuel Rillstone Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, along with MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, have again declined to turn up to a privileges hearing over their haka protest in Parliament, but this time they have lodged a written submission in their absence. The three, along with Labour's Peeni Henare, were referred to the committee for their involvement in a haka and protests in the House in November , at the first reading of the contentious Treaty Principles Bill. The hearing was scheduled for Wednesday morning . In a document provided to RNZ, the three MPs said in their written submission, that they declined to appear due to a "lack of procedural fairness," after several requests - including to hold a joint hearing, submission of evidence from tikanga expert Sir Pou Temara, and the ability for their counsel to make legal arguments on tikanga - were denied "without providing any reasons." "We are gravely concerned with the Committee's lack of good-faith engagement with our Counsel about the tikanga of this hearing, as tikanga is indeed at the very heart of the matters that are before the Committee," the submission said. The MPs argued that the haka was a form of constitutionally protected political expression and a response to what they called "the worst potential legislative breach of Te Tiriti in our generation" - a reference to the ACT Party's controversial Treaty Principles Bill which was voted down on its second reading , on 10 April. "The level of disrespect for Te Tiriti encapsulated in this Bill was unprecedented in modern times. It was an attack on Māori that has not been seen since the Tohunga Suppression Act in the early 20th century. This was an exceptional circumstance which sparked an exceptional response." The submission also read that Maipi-Clarke had already been removed from the House for her involvement in the protest - having been stood down for 24 hours - and argued that further punishment would amount to double jeopardy. "We ask the Committee to remove Hana from this process without any further sanction, as she has already been punished by the Speaker for her participation." In the written submission, the three Te Pāti Māori MPs said there was a "constitutionally significant issue at play" with respect to the complaints filed against them. "That issue is the rightful place that Tikanga Māori should have within the House of Representatives as a taonga that is guaranteed to us under Article Two of Te Tiriti o Waitangi." They said the House was "lagging behind the rest of government and society at large" regarding the recognition and incorporation of tikanga Māori as part of its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. "Those failings could, and should, be remedied by this Committee through taking a Tikanga-based approach to the present complaints." Members of Te Pāti Māori do a haka in front of Act Party members in Parliament, on 14 November. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins The MPs argued haka is a critical part of the identity of Aotearoa, and since the performance of Ka Mate in 1888 by Joseph Warbrick's Māori All Blacks team, had become synonymous with New Zealand's sporting teams, general identity and nation. "But the vast expanse and depth of Haka as an art form is so much more than this," "Haka is a tool of debate, argument, political discourse and cultural expression that has been used by our people since mai rā anō. It is an expression of our whakapapa and the connections to our ancestors, and a taonga for us to use in modern society to express our collective conviction on the kaupapa of the day." They argued that this was exactly what they did. "The Haka that we performed in response to the introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill was not only a valid form of debate to this piece of legislative nonsense that sought to do violence to Te Tiriti, it was also an action that was totally consistent with Tikanga Māori, the first law of Aotearoa." In the submission, the MPs said that the coalition government laid the challenge to te iwi Māori first. "We responded to that challenge, and we had a constitutional right to do so in the form of a haka as a taonga protected under Article Two of Te Tiriti." The MPs also rejected claims that they did not seek permission to perform the haka. "We firmly reject such assertions as permission was indeed sought and granted in accordance with tikanga. The performance of "Ka Mate", our most famous haka and a living taonga of Ngāti Toa, was discussed with Ngāti Toa Rangatira and their permission to perform their taonga haka was granted. Members of Ngāti Toa attended in the public gallery on the day to perform their haka with us, again in accordance with tikanga, to tautoko the protest against this vile piece of legislation," the document read. "We also sought permission and were granted permission to perform the haka from Te Āti Awa who hold mana whenua as acknowledged by the MOU signed on 19 December 2024, with Parliamentary Service and Office of the Clerk." They also referenced multiple occasions where haka was performed in the House, following Treaty settlement legislation, during maiden speeches and acknowledgement of retiring politicians. "None of these Haka resulted in complaints of contempt deemed worthy of investigation by this Committee." The MPs said that the Committee should consider what message it will send to the 270,000 people who submitted in opposition to the Bill, if they decide that they acted in contempt by performing Ka Mate. "We expressed a collective conviction on behalf of our electorates, our people, and all of the tangata Tiriti who stood with us against the Treaty Principles Bill," "We will not be apologising for acting in accordance with the first law of Aotearoa," the submission said. More to come... Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
