New Zealand MPs Disrupt Parliament with Haka to Protest Indigenous Treaty Bill

November 14, 2024 | 05:18 pm

TEMPO.CO, Sydney - New Zealand's parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday after Maori members staged a haka to disrupt the vote on a contentious bill that would reinterpret a 184-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori.

First signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Maori chiefs, the Treaty of Waitangi lays down how the two parties agreed to govern. The interpretation of clauses in the document still guides legislation and policy today.

Rulings by the courts and a separate Maori tribunal have progressively expanded Maori rights and privileges over the decades. However, some argue this has discriminated against non-Indigenous citizens.

The ACT New Zealand party, a junior partner in the ruling center-right coalition government, last week unveiled a bill to enshrine a narrower interpretation of the Waitangi treaty in law.

As parliamentarians gathered for a preliminary vote on the bill on Thursday, Te Pati Maori MPs stood and began a haka, a traditional Maori dance made famous by New Zealand's rugby team.

Parliament was briefly suspended as people in the gallery joined in, and shouting drowned out others in the chamber.

ACT New Zealand leader David Seymour said people who oppose the bill want to "stir up" fear and division. "My mission is to empower every person," he added.

The controversial legislation, however, is seen by many Maori and their supporters as undermining the rights of the country's Indigenous people, who make up around 20% of the population of 5.3 million.

Hundreds have set out on a nine-day march, or hikoi, from New Zealand's north to the national capital of Wellington in protest over the legislation, staging rallies in towns and cities as they move south.

They will arrive in Wellington next Tuesday, where tens of thousands are expected to gather for a big rally.

While the bill has passed its first reading, it is unlikely to garner enough support to pass into law.

Coalition partners the National Party and New Zealand First are only supporting the legislation through the first of three readings as part of the coalition agreement. Both parties have said they will not support it to become legislation, meaning it will almost certainly fail.

REUTERS | Renju Jose and Lewis Jackson

Editor’s Choice: New Zealand to Issue New Policy on Online Gambling  

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News

New Zealand to Issue New Policy on Online Gambling

1 hari lalu

Philip Mark Mehrtens Freed by Papua's TPNPB-OPM, Family: 'Extremely Grateful and Relieved'

52 hari lalu

Today's Top 3 News: 10 Countries with the Longest Coastline in the World

52 hari lalu

New Zealand PM Praises Indonesia for Rescuing Susi Air Pilot Held Hostage in Papua

52 hari lalu

Indonesian Govt Hands Over Susi Air Pilot to New Zealand Govt

53 hari lalu

Release of New Zealand Pilot Held Hostage 'A Significant Moment Amid Conflict in Papua': Amnesty International

53 hari lalu

Before Being Released, Susi Air's New Zealand Pilot Requested These Two Things

53 hari lalu

Susi Air's New Zealand Pilot Released, Minister Says Armed Group OPM Made No Demands

53 hari lalu

TNI Denies Conducting Military Operation in Nduga to Free Susi Air Pilot

55 hari lalu

New Zealand Pilot Release, Indonesian Military: Humanitarian Claim by Papua's Liberation Group Inappropriate

56 hari lalu