Maori MPs Led by Youngest MP Halt NZ Parliament with Haka over Treaty Bill

Nov 14, 2024, 05:57 PM

New Zealand's Parliament was briefly suspended after Maori lawmakers, led by the country's youngest MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, staged a haka to protest the Treaty Principles Bill proposed by the ACT Party that would reinterpret the 184-year-old Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and the Indigenous Maori people. The bill aims to redefine the treaty's principles, which critics argue could undermine Indigenous rights. During the bill's first reading, Maipi-Clarke tore up a copy of the legislation and performed the traditional Maori haka in Parliament, leading to heated exchanges and the suspension of proceedings. Despite the protests, the bill passed its first reading in the House of Representatives. Thousands of protesters have joined a march toward the capital, Wellington, in opposition to the proposed changes.