Members of New Zealand's parliament interrupted Thursday's session by erupting into a traditional Māori haka chant in response to a controversial bill which reinterprets a foundational treaty between the nation and Māori people.
When asked if the opposition party would support the bill, MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke stood and began the haka, ripping the papers detailing the proposed legislation in half.
@whakaatamaori Parliament suspended as Māori MPs perform haka joined by public gallery. @Te Ao with Moana @Te Ao Māori News @TUKU ♬ original sound - Whakaata Māori
Meanwhile, a hīkoi, or protest march, organized by Māori rights activists, drew thousands of participants across the country, with over 5,000 people crossing Auckland's Harbour Bridge on Wednesday, BBC reported.
The bill in question, introduced by Act, a minor party in the ruling coalition, proposes a legal definition of the Treaty principles. Act argues that New Zealand's laws based on these principles have divided the country by race, and claims their initiative promotes a fairer interpretation through parliament rather than the courts.
"[The courts] have been able to develop principles that have been used to justify actions that are contrary to the principle of equal rights," argued Act leader, David Seymour. Seymour contends that the bill is meant to ensure "equal protection" for all New Zealanders, citing certain provisions, like "ethnic quotas in public institutions," as unfair.
Critics warn that the bill undermines Māori rights and threatens the inclusivity of New Zealand's multicultural society. According to the Waitangi Tribunal, the bill excludes Māori voices in decision-making, violating the principle of partnership and jeopardizing the Crown's duty to protect Māori rights.
"Te Tiriti [the Treaty of Waitangi] is very important to our national identity," Winston Pond, a protestor who joined the hīkoi, told BBC.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, despite being part of Act's coalition, called the bill "divisive."
The bill will now enter a six-month public hearing process at the select committee stage, while the hīkoi continues towards Wellington in a showcase of resistance to any dilution of Treaty protections.
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