New Zealand's parliament suspended after Māori lawmakers perform Haka, protest proposed law

New Zealand's parliament was suspended and two lawmakers were ejected during a vote on a controversial proposed law redefining the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown.

The proposed law would redefine the Treaty of Waitangi, which promises broad rights for Māori to tribes retain their lands and protect their interests in return for ceding governance to the British. The bill would specify that those rights should apply to all New Zealanders.

The New Zealand government is pulling back on protecting Māori rights, sparking protests from indigenous lawmakers who oppose the decision with their traditional “haka” chant.

This is powerful. pic.twitter.com/ed5OKaDRB1

— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) November 14, 2024

New Zealand’s Parliament was temporarily suspended after Māori lawmakers performed a haka, a traditional dance, demonstrating their community’s anger and fear over a bill that aims to reinterpret the country’s founding treaty with its Indigenous people. https://t.co/nu55lS7Y8M pic.twitter.com/xLNIkMQagk

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 15, 2024

The youngest member of New Zealand’s parliament, Māori Party MP Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke, started a haka to protest the first vote on a contentious bill that would reinterpret a 184-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori.

The parliament was briefly… pic.twitter.com/ik8hreIpAM

— Gulf Daily News (@GDNonline) November 14, 2024