New Zealand's Youngest MP Stirs Parliament With Māori Haka Dance Protesting Treaty Bill (screengrab from Instagram video @nzstuff)
Wellington, New Zealand: Māori members staged a haka to disrupt the passing of a bill that would reinterpret a 184-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Māori, and New Zealand’s parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday. The protest was started by the youngest MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who is only 21 years old.
The Treaty of Waitangi, which was first signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Māori chiefs, lays down how the two parties agreed to govern. The interpretation of clauses in the document still guides legislation and policy today.
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Over the decades, rulings by the courts and a separate Māori tribunal have progressively expanded Māori rights and privileges. However, some argue this has discriminated against non-Indigenous citizens.
Last week, a junior party in the ruling center-right coalition government, the ACT New Zealand Party, unveiled a bill to enshrine a narrower interpretation of the Waitangi treaty in law.
As parliamentarians gathered for a preliminary vote on the bill, Te Pati Māori MPs stood and began a haka, a traditional Māori dance. Parliament was briefly suspended as people in the gallery joined in, and shouting drowned out others in the chamber.
ACT New Zealand leader David Seymour said people who oppose the bill want to “stir up” fear and division. “My mission is to empower every person,” he added, as quoted by media.
The controversial bill, however, is seen by many Māori and their supporters as undermining the rights of the country’s Indigenous people, who make up around 20 percent of the population of 5.3 million. Hundreds have set out on a nine-day march, or hikoi, from New Zealand’s north to the national capital of Wellington in protest over the legislation, staging rallies in towns and cities as they move south.
The protest will arrive in Wellington next Tuesday, where tens of thousands are expected to gather for a big rally. At the same time, while the bill has passed its first reading, it is unlikely to garner enough support to pass into law.
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Coalition partners the National Party and New Zealand First are only supporting the legislation through the first of three readings as part of the coalition agreement. Both parties have said they will not support it to become legislation, which means that it will almost certainly fail.
Māori, or te reo Māori, which is commonly known as te reo, is a member of the Austronesian language family. The Eastern Polynesian language is spoken by Māori people, the indigenous population of New Zealand. It is one of the official languages of New Zealand, apart from English. The language gained its official status after the Māori Language Act was passed in 1987.
(With inputs from agencies)
