New Zealand parliament members cry out against bill threatening Maori communities

Members of New Zealand’s parliament have rallied the international community in support of the island country’s indigenous groups, as contentious legislation moves forward that could threaten Maori support systems.

In a now viral video taken during the legislative session, Te Pati Maori member Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke — the country’s youngest member of parliament — rises amid commencement of the first vote and begins a ringing haka, soon joined by other members of the Maori Party and parliament. The haka, a type of striking group performance embodying New Zealand’s rich indigenous culture, is often interpreted as a cry of challenge.

And a challenge there certainly was. The group of representatives were rallying against a proposed bill contentiously reinterpreting the Treaty of Waitangi, a 184-year-old agreement between the British and Indigenous Maori that established rules of government for the colonizing government and indigenous leaders. The new bill would narrow the treaty’s definitions and powers, which have, until this moment, offered interpretive pathways for the expansion of Maori rights and stands as a beacon of race relations in the country. The bill is credited with facilitating the creation of a Maori health authority and initiatives to preserve the indigenous language.

Notably, no members of the Maori community were consulted for the proposed bill, which could have a reverberating impact on the 20 percent of New Zealand’s population that identify as Maori.

Following tense debate in the chambers, Rawhiti tore up a copy of the legislation and stirred her party to begin the chant. While the haka successfully suspended the vote for 30 minutes, two lawmakers were ejected from the chambers and the bill was later passed through its first round. The bill will now be sent to a committee for a six month hearing process before a second reading, but experts don’t believe it will pass another vote.

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Outside of the parliamentary chambers, indigenous groups and their supporters have been widely protesting the bill. Opposition supporters are in the middle of a nine day peace march, known as a hikoi, that began in the north of New Zealand and will end in the national capital of Wellington. The group has staged rallies and protests along the way, culminating in a massive rally at the capital scheduled for next week.

Credit: Fiona Goodall / Stringer / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Rawhiti, 22, previously made headlines for performing a haka during her inaugural speech in front of the New Zealand parliament.