Three Māori MPs suspended from New Zealand Parliament over protest haka
The protest was sparked by the Treaty Principles Bill, which sought to redefine the principles of New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi.
Opposition MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who initiated the traditional Māori dance after being asked if her party, Te Pāti Māori, supported a controversial bill, has received a seven-day ban. (X) New Zealand’s parliament has voted to suspend three Māori MPs following their performance of a protest haka during a sitting last year.
Opposition MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who initiated the traditional Māori haka, a chanting dance of defiance, after being asked if her party, Te Pāti Māori, supported a controversial bill, has received a seven-day ban. The party’s co-leaders, Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, have been handed 21-day suspensions.
The protest was sparked by the Treaty Principles Bill, which sought to redefine the principles of New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi. The bill, which was widely criticised for potentially undermining Māori rights, was voted down 112 to 11 in April following a committee recommendation against it.
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