Maori MPs Stun New Zealand Parliament
New Zealand’s youngest Member of Parliament ripped up a contentious bill.
Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke disrupted proceedings with a powerful Maori Haka.
Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke began the Haka after being asked whether her party supported the bill.
Maori lawmakers joined Maipi-Clarke, disrupting parliament in a protest against a bill that aims to reinterpret the country’s 184-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori. The Treaty of Waitangi lays out how the two parties agreed to govern, promising the Maori rights to their lands and giving other protections in exchange for British rule. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840.
The controversial legislation is seen by many Maori and their supporters as undermining the rights of the country’s Indigenous people, who make up around 20% of the population of 5.3 million. Critics say the new legislation will divide the country and lead to the unravelling of much-needed support for many Maori.
New Zealand is often considered a leader in indigenous rights, but opponents of the bill fear those same rights are being put at risk. The Haka, an ancient war dance, now a symbol of resistance, disrupted proceedings and ignited debate over indigenous rights and cultural heritage.
Many Maori are disadvantaged compared with the general population when assessed through markers such as health outcomes, household income, education levels and incarceration and mortality rates. There remains a seven-year gap in life expectancy between the Maori and those of European descent.
Outside parliament, Maipi-Clarke said, “I may have been suspended for 24 hours and not let into the gates of the debating chambers, but the next day I showed up outside the steps with a hundred thousand of my people, marching with our heads held high and our flags waving with pride.
“We are the kingmakers, we are the sovereign people of this land and the world is watching us here.”
Thousands of protesters, including Maori warriors in traditional dress, marched on New Zealand’s parliament in opposition to the bill. The demonstrators arrived in Wellington, New Zealand, after a nine-day “hikoi”—or protest march—that began more than 250 miles away at New Zealand’s northern tip.
The legislation is not expected to pass as most parties have committed to voting it down, but its introduction has triggered political upheaval and reignited a debate on Indigenous rights in New Zealand.
