Three New Zealand lawmakers from Te Pāti Māori, the Māori Party, will receive temporary bans from Parliament and severe censure, it was announced Wednesday, over their protest of a proposed law by performing a haka, a chanting dance of challenge, directed at their opponents.
A committee of their peers recommended the penalties, understood to be the harshest ever assigned to New Zealand parliamentarians, in findings that said the trio’s actions could have intimidated other legislators and were in contempt of Parliament. Their temporary suspensions are expected to be affirmed by vote during a sitting of all lawmakers on Thursday.
