The suspension of Parliamentary proceedings following a haka led by Te Pāti Māori during debate on the Treaty Principles Bill on Thursday has gained international attention.
Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who started the haka, was suspended from the House, while Labour MP Willie Jackson was booted from the debating chamber after he called ACT leader David Seymour a “liar”.
The Bill passed its first reading and will head to a select committee before it is voted on again in six months. The legislation, which was part of the Coalition Government deal, is not expected to go any further than that because National and New Zealand First have said they will not back it past the initial stage.
BBC News said the core values of the Treaty had been “woven into New Zealand’s laws in an effort to redress the wrong done to Māori during colonisation”.
“The country is often considered a leader in indigenous rights, but opponents of the bill fear those same rights are being put at risk by this bill.”
A former MP is claiming the episode is damaging New Zealand’s reputation. (Source: 1News)
The Guardian reported the Treaty Principles Bill sought to remove “a set of well-established principles that has flowed from New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi”.
It said there had been “significant public backlash” to the Bill and covered the national hīkoi en route to Wellington.
“New Zealand’s parliament has erupted into fiery debate, personal attacks and a haka over a controversial bill that proposes to radically alter the way New Zealand’s treaty between Māori and the Crown is interpreted.”
The Associated Press reported that the Bill had “scant support” and was “unlikely to become law”.
“Despite its unpopularity, however, the proposed law passed its first vote on Thursday after dominating public discussion for months, due to a quirk of New Zealand’s political system that allows tiny parties to negotiate outsized influence for their agendas.”
International news agency Reuters said Parliament was “briefly suspended as people in the gallery joined in, and shouting drowned out others in the chamber”.
“The controversial legislation, however, is seen by many Māori and their supporters as undermining the rights of the country’s Indigenous people, who make up around 20 per cent of the population of 5.3 million.”
