Māori MPs Suspended From Parliament After Performing Viral Haka Protest

One MP made worldwide headlines last year by leading a haka and tearing up the Treaty Principles Bill during a parliamentary session.

An image of Maori Party MPs leaving their seats to perform a haka on the floor of the debating chamber in New Zealand's Parliament on Nov. 14, 2024. Screenshot of Parliament

Preventing Parliament from voting on the contentious Treaty Principles Bill has resulted in three Māori Party MPs receiving the most severe suspensions ever issued in the 170-year history of the institution.

During the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill on Nov. 14, 2024, the MPs—Rawiri Waititi, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke—performed a haka and advanced towards Association of Consumers and Taxpayers (ACT) Party MPs.