Lawmakers from New Zealandʼs indigenous Maori people disrupted parliament yesterday with a ritual haka dance. This is how they protested against the controversial draft law, which rethinks the agreement between the indigenous Maori population and the British crown.
This is reported by Time.
When opposition MP Hana-Rauhiti Maipi-Clark was asked if her party supported the bill, she tore up a copy of the document and began a traditional Maori ceremonial group dance. Colleagues from the Te Pāti Māori Party and other MPs joined in the dance.
Voting in New Zealandʼs parliament was suspended due to the protest, and two lawmakers were expelled.
The bill has sparked protests because it proposes a new interpretation of the fundamental 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which governs relations between the government and Maori. Under this agreement, the tribes were promised broad rights to preserve their lands and protect their interests in exchange for handing over power to the British. However, the bill proposes to "rewrite" the treaty so that these rights apply to all New Zealand citizens.
Many Maori and their supporters believe the bill causes a constitutional upheaval and undermines the rights of the countryʼs indigenous people, who make up about 20% of the population.
However, in reality, the draft law is unlikely to pass the second reading, since not all members of the coalition support it.
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