Led by Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, opposition MPs and members of the public gallery brought parliament to a halt on Thursday afternoon as she ripped a copy of the Treaty Principles Bill, and MPs and the public stood to perform the haka, Ka Mate.Haka briefly stopped New Zealand MPs from voting on the Treaty Principles Bill, and concluded an extraordinary debate during which tempers flared and two MPs were reprimanded.
Led by Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, opposition MPs and members of the public gallery brought parliament to a halt on Thursday afternoon as she ripped a copy of the Treaty Principles Bill, and MPs and the public stood to perform the haka, Ka Mate.
It was “grossly disorderly”, the Speaker of Parliament, Gerry Brownlee, said later. He took the very rare step of “naming” Maipi-Clarke and calling for the House to judge her conduct.
The coalition parties – National, ACT and NZ First – voted with the Speaker to suspend Maipi-Clarke. That meant she was unable to vote against the bill, which seeks to redefine the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Brownlee ordered security to clear the public gallery, and he briefly suspended parliament as a result of the haka.
Alongside Maipi-Clarke, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi went face-to-face with David Seymour, whose bill it is, as they performed the Ngāti Toa haka.
When it came time for the Treaty Principles Bill to be voted on, the same parties voted in favour. Their support would send the bill to a select committee, which was expected to take six months to consider it.When it came time for the Treaty Principles Bill to be voted on, the same parties voted in favour. Their support would send the bill to a select committee, which was expected to take six months to consider it.
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