Māori MPs suspended over Haka Protest

Three Māori MPs from New Zealand’s opposition Te Pāti Māori Party have been suspended from Parliament after performing a traditional haka in protest, sparking international attention. The protest was aimed at a controversial bill seen as undermining the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and the Māori people.

MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, the youngest member of Parliament, was suspended for seven days, while party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer were barred from parliamentary proceedings for 21 days, according to a BBC report on June 5.

The incident occurred during questioning over the party’s stance on the now-withdrawn bill, which faced massive public backlash. In November last year, over 40,000 protesters rallied against the proposal outside Parliament.

Ngarewa-Packer told reporters, “We are being punished for being Māori. We are standing up for our people.” The protest led to a heated debate in Parliament, with Foreign Minister Winston Peters labelling Te Pāti Māori as “extremist,” prompting demands for an apology.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated that the suspensions were not due to the haka itself, but for violating parliamentary procedure, as the act briefly disrupted the session.

Despite the disciplinary action—marking the longest parliamentary suspension in New Zealand’s history—the Māori community views the bill’s withdrawal as a significant victory. Maipi-Clarke, visibly emotional, said, “Is our voice so powerful that it must be punished?”

The protest and subsequent suspensions have reignited discussions about indigenous rights, cultural expression, and the role of dissent in democratic institutions.