New Zealand's Parliament suspended three members of the Māori Party following their haka protest against the proposed Treaty Principles Bill, deemed harmful to indigenous rights. This unprecedented suspension, notably a record 21 days for two members, reflects ongoing tensions between Māori cultural expression and parliamentary norms. The bill aimed to clarify the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi's principles but faced significant public backlash, with over 40,000 protesters rallying against it. Its defeat has ignited debates about the place of Māori culture in parliamentary discourse and the treatment of indigenous rights in New Zealand's political landscape.
Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban and the leaders of her political party, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, were barred for 21 days.
The three politicians performed a haka in Parliament in opposition of the widely unpopular Treaty Principles Bill which they said would be damaging to the rights of indigenous peoples.
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