WELLINGTON, May 15 (Alliance News): A New Zealand parliamentary committee on Wednesday recommended suspending three Indigenous Māori lawmakers for performing a haka during the reading of a controversial bill last year, a move Te Pāti Māori described as a colonial crackdown on Indigenous expression.
The Privileges Committee proposed a 21-day suspension for Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, and a seven-day suspension for MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke. The committee found their actions could be interpreted as an attempt to intimidate fellow members during a legislative vote.
The protest occurred in November ahead of a vote on a bill that sought to reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi, the 1840 founding document between the British Crown and Māori. During the protest, Ngarewa-Packer allegedly made a hand gesture resembling a finger gun, simulating a firing motion — an action cited as contributing to the committee’s recommendation.
Though haka and waiata (songs) are not uncommon in parliament, the committee ruled that they must either be part of a speech or receive prior approval from the Speaker. In this case, the haka was deemed an unauthorised disruption during an active vote.
The suspension recommendations now require approval from the full House, where the conservative ruling coalition is expected to back the motion.
Judith Collins, the attorney-general and chair of the committee, said the protest disrupted the sanctity of the voting process. “The right to cast one’s vote without impediment goes to the heart of being a member of Parliament,” Collins said at a press conference.
In response, Te Pāti Māori issued a statement on Instagram calling the recommendations the “strongest punishments ever handed down” by the committee, adding, “When Tangata Whenua resist, colonial powers reach for maximum penalty. This is a warning shot to all of us to fall in line.”
The party refused to appear before the committee but submitted a written statement defending their actions as a justified expression of cultural and political resistance. Labour MP Pene Henare, who also took part in the haka, did attend the hearing and has since issued an apology in Parliament.
The controversial bill that triggered the protest failed to gain enough support to become law.
