Maori MPs face suspension after Haka protest in New Zealand parliament

Supporters say the MPs stood firm for indigenous dignity and history

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WORLDWIDE:

A group of Indigenous Maori lawmakers could soon be banned from New Zealand’s parliament after staging a haka protest against a divisive race relations bill, drawing sharp condemnation and reigniting debates over indigenous rights.

In November, 22-year-old Maori Party MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke ripped up a copy of the proposed "Treaty Principles Bill" during a passionate chant.

She was flanked by co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, who marched onto the chamber floor performing Ka Mate, the ceremonial haka made famous by the All Blacks rugby team.

A parliamentary committee on Wednesday evening recommended suspending Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer for three weeks, and Maipi-Clarke for seven days.

The full chamber will vote on the decision next week, where approval is widely expected.

The Maori Party called the penalties some of the harshest ever imposed in New Zealand’s legislative history.

“When tangata whenua resist, colonial powers reach for the maximum penalty,” the party said in a statement, referring to the Maori term for Indigenous people. “This is a warning shot to all of us to fall in line.”

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters criticised the trio, calling them “out-of-control MPs who flout the rules and intimidate others with outrageous hakas.”

The controversy centres on the now-defeated Treaty Principles Bill, which sought to reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi — New Zealand’s foundational agreement signed in 1840 between Maori chiefs and British officials.

Critics viewed the bill as an attempt to roll back hard-won rights for the country’s 900,000 Maori citizens.

Parliament ultimately voted down the legislation last month, but the protest and its aftermath have reignited tensions over indigenous recognition, protest rights, and the boundaries of parliamentary conduct.

Maipi-Clarke, the youngest MP in New Zealand’s parliament, has not commented publicly since the committee’s recommendation. The Maori Party has vowed to continue resisting what it calls "legislative colonisation.