Māori Lawmakers Face Suspension Over Haka Protest in New Zealand Parliament
Indigenous Māori members of New Zealand’s Parliament are pushing back against efforts to suspend them after they staged a powerful protest during a debate on a controversial race relations bill.
In November, 22-year-old Māori Party MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke disrupted a parliamentary session by tearing up a copy of the proposed legislation while performing a passionate haka, a traditional Māori war dance.
She was supported by party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, who entered the chamber performing the iconic Ka Mate haka, popularized by the All Blacks rugby team.
On Wednesday night, a parliamentary committee recommended disciplinary action: a three-week suspension for Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer, and a one-week suspension for Maipi-Clarke.
The Māori Party condemned the decision, calling it one of the most severe penalties ever imposed in New Zealand’s parliamentary history.
“When tangata whenua (people of the land) stand in resistance, colonial powers respond with maximum punishment,” the party said. “This serves as a clear warning to all of us to stay in line.”
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters criticized the trio, labeling them “out-of-control MPs” who violate parliamentary norms and “intimidate others with aggressive hakas.”
Parliament is expected to vote on the suspensions next week, with approval considered likely.
The protests were triggered by the “Treaty Principles Bill,” which aimed to reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi, the foundational agreement signed in 1840 between Māori leaders and British officials.
Critics argued that the bill sought to erode protections and rights afforded to the Māori population, which numbers around 900,000. The bill was decisively rejected in a recent vote in Parliament.
