Asia & Pacific

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.
Māori MPs Suspended From Parliament After Performing Viral Haka Protest
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
Rex Widerstrom
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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.

Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.