New Zealand Maori Party MPs interrupted a parliamentary session on Thursday with a haka dance, in a bid to oppose a race relations bill that has sparked protests across the country.
The law, expected to be debated that day, aims to reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi, signed almost 200 years ago between New Zealand's Maori and European settlers, and considered the country's founding treaty.
But proceedings were interrupted when Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, a 22-year-old Māori Party MP, stood up, tore the bill in two and began a Ka Mate haka, a traditional song dance performed by the Maori during conflicts to impress their adversaries.
Other members of her party immediately joined her in this dance popularized worldwide by the All Blacks, the New Zealand rugby team.
The Speaker of Parliament, Gerry Brownlee, evacuated spectators from the public gallery and briefly interrupted the debates, condemning the interruption as “grossly disorderly”.
Tensions began to rise in New Zealand after a minority party in the governing coalition proposed legislation to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi.
The text, signed in 1840 to establish peace between Maori chiefs and English settlers, is considered the founding document of the country.
Critics of the bill say it would have the effect of dismantling programs, including education, intended for Māori citizens.
Although the proposal is unlikely to pass — lacking support within the governing coalition itself — critics say it still risks souring race relations.
Thousands of people joined a march across the country to protest the law, blocking highways on their way to the capital, Wellington. The demonstrators, whose number is estimated at 10,000, are expected to arrive in front of parliament early next week.
