Sydney (TIP): New Zealand’s parliament was briefly suspended on November 14 after a powerful haka, performed by Maori MPs, disrupted a vote on a controversial bill seeking to reinterpret the country’s 184-year-old Treaty of Waitangi. The Treaty, signed in 1840 between the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs, established the terms for governance and the relationship between the two parties. Its principles continue to shape legislation and policy in New Zealand today. Over the years, court rulings and a separate Maori tribunal have progressively expanded Maori rights. However, some critics argue that these developments have resulted in discrimination against non-Indigenous citizens.
The ACT New Zealand party, a junior partner in the ruling centre-right coalition government, introduced a bill last week that seeks to enshrine a narrower interpretation of the Treaty’s clauses into law.
As parliamentarians gathered for a preliminary vote on the bill, Te Pati Maori MPs rose to perform a haka—a traditional Maori war dance famously associated with New Zealand’s rugby team. The dramatic protest, intended to signal opposition to the legislation, led to a brief suspension of parliamentary proceedings as the chanting and shouting from the MPs and spectators in the public gallery drowned out the proceedings.
ACT New Zealand leader David Seymour responded by accusing opponents of the bill of trying to “stir up” fear and division. “My mission is to empower every person,” he said, defending the bill.
However, the legislation has been widely condemned by Maori leaders and their supporters, who view it as a threat to the rights of the country’s Indigenous people, who make up around 20% of New Zealand’s population of 5.3 million.
In protest, hundreds of demonstrators have set out on a nine-day hikoi (march) from New Zealand’s north to the capital, Wellington. The marchers have staged rallies in towns and cities along the way and are expected to arrive in Wellington on Tuesday, where tens of thousands are anticipated to join a major rally.
While the bill passed its first reading, it is unlikely to proceed further. Coalition partners, the National Party and New Zealand First, have only supported the bill through its initial reading as part of the coalition agreement. Both parties have made it clear that they will not back the legislation in subsequent readings, making it almost certain the bill will fail. (Reuters)