New Zealand’s Parliament briefly recessed on Thursday after a group of Maori MPs performed a haka to disrupt a vote on a controversial bill.
Supported by the ACT New Zealand party, partner of the center-right government, this text aims to limit the interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between the British Crown and Maori chiefs, a fundamental document in New Zealand governance .
Te Pati Maori MPs, opposed to this initiative which they consider threatening to Maori rights, were joined in their haka by spectators in the gallery. For supporters of indigenous rights, this legislation represents a threat to the rights of the Maori, who represent 20% of the New Zealand population.
The session of Parliament was briefly suspended and MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke was suspended from office for 24 hours.
AP/Tschani Boulens
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