Maori PMs in New Zealand dealt severe punishment for viral haka protest dance
Wellington, New Zealand - New Zealand lawmakers have moved to temporarily suspend three of their Maori colleagues who last year took the world by storm with their haka protest dance in the parliament.
Māori MPs Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi face suspensions of 21 days, and MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke of seven days, with the penalties expected to be affirmed in a vote on Tuesday.
In an X post, Te Pāti Māori (the Maori Party) called it "the most severe punishment handed down in our history."
The three Indigenous lawmakers are being punished for performing a traditional dance last November in opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill, which would have altered fundamental aspects of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi agreement governing relations between Māori tribes and the British Crown.
The bill stoked widespread alarm with the possibility of significantly rolling back Māori rights. It was defeated in the parliament in April.
Video of the haka and Maipi-Clarke ripping up a copy of the bill went viral around the world last fall, bringing global attention to the Māori struggle.
"This Government is waging war on our existence as Mãori and on the fabric of this nation. To all the people of Aotearoa, we need you," Te Päti Mãori co-leader Waititi said in a press release at the time.
Māori Party opposes characterization of haka as "intimidating"
Haka is a ceremonial dance of the Māori people practiced for centuries for a variety of social occasions.
A report released Wednesday by the Privileges Committee suggested the Māori lawmakers' actions – including their haka – had the effect of "intimidating" colleagues and were in contempt of the House of Representatives.
"The finding that our actions constituted 'intimidation' sets a dangerous precedent for Aotearoa. It frames Mãori protest, haka, and the assertion of rangatiratanga as inherently threatening," Te Pāti Māori said in their differing view.
"This interpretation risks criminalising future Mãori expression indefence of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Such a characterisation reinforces institutional racism within the highest body of our democratic system. It sends a message to our mokopuna and our constituents that their Mãori identity is a threat to New Zealand's democracy."
The Māori MPs are due to be barred from an annual budget debate next week and will not receive their salaries through the duration of their suspensions.
Cover photo: Sanka Vidanagama / AFP