A New Zealand parliamentary committee has recommended the temporary suspension of three Indigenous lawmakers following the performance of a haka during a debate on a controversial bill last year.
The Privileges Committee suggested that Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, co-leaders of Te Pati Maori, be suspended for 21 days each. Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, another Te Pati Maori representative, was recommended for a seven-day suspension for actions deemed to have the potential to intimidate other members of the House.
The committee’s report highlighted that haka, a traditional Maori ceremonial dance, and song are not uncommon in the parliament, but they require prior approval from the Speaker unless they are part of a member’s speech. The lawmakers involved performed the haka ahead of a vote on a contentious bill last November that sought to reinterpret the 184-year-old Treaty of Waitangi, an agreement between the British Crown and Indigenous Maori tribes.
The report also mentioned an incident involving Ngarewa-Packer, who allegedly made a hand gesture resembling a finger gun and mimicked a firing motion, further intensifying the dispute.
The bill, which would have altered the interpretation of the treaty, ultimately failed to secure enough support to become law.
Te Pati Maori, in a statement on Instagram, condemned the committee’s recommendations, describing them as the harshest penalties ever proposed. The party framed the action as a warning to Indigenous lawmakers resisting colonial powers, emphasising that it was an effort to suppress dissent.
“Colonial forces aim for the harshest punishment when Indigenous people, or Tangata Whenua, rebel. This is a warning shot to all of us to fall in line,” the statement read.
Judith Collins, the ruling lawmaker who chairs the Privileges Committee and serves as New Zealand’s attorney-general, defended the committee’s stance. Collins said that disrupting a vote in the chamber was disorderly and undermined the fundamental rights of members to cast their votes without interference. Collins stated during a press conference on Wednesday that “physically approaching another member on the floor of the debating chamber is not acceptable.”
Te Pāti Māori had refused to appear before the Privileges Committee but submitted a written response arguing that the haka was a legitimate expression of protest against a bill they considered disrespectful to Māori people.
Opposition Labour Party member Pene Henare, who also participated in the haka, had earlier appeared before the committee and issued a public apology for his actions.
Parliament will now vote to approve the recommended suspensions, with the ruling conservative coalition expected to support the proposal.