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CW Note
New Zealand: Māori indigenous resistance meets harsh parliament response

  R Preetha

In the news
On 5 June, New Zealand’s parliament voted to suspend three Members of Parliament from the Te Pāti Māori party for performing a haka during a debate on the Treaty Principles Bill in November 2024. Co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi face 21-day suspensions, while Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban.  

On the same day, Ngarewa-Packer commented that they were “punished for being Māori.” During a speech in the parliament, Maipi-Clarke stated: “We will never be silenced, and we will never be lost.”

Issues at large
First, a brief profile of the Māori community. The Māori are New Zealand’s indigenous people, with a population of about 978,246. According to the 2023 census, 19 per cent of the country’s population is Māori. They descended from East Polynesian voyagers who settled in Aotearoa around the 13th century. Since 1840, over 90 per cent of Māori land has been lost to the British colonialists. Currently, the community face stark socioeconomic disparities, including higher levels of incarceration. 

Second, from the Treaty of Waitangi (1840) to the Treaty Principles Bill (2024). The Treaty of Waitangi, also called Te Tiriti o Waitangi, was signed between the British Crown and nearly 500 Māori chiefs in 1840 to protect Māori cultural and land rights, while allowing British governance. The treaty had two versions, Māori and English, leading to disputes over interpretation. The Māori version states “rangatiratanga” or “self-determination” to the Māori chiefs, guaranteeing their people the right to self-govern. Whereas, the English version states that the Māori chiefs “cede to Her Majesty the Queen of England absolutely and without reservation all the rights and powers of Sovereignty.” 

The Treaty Principles Bill was introduced by David Seymour of the ACT Party in 2024. The bill states that the Waitangi Treaty has been misinterpreted over the decades, with Maori and white New Zealanders enjoying different political and legal rights. Seymour claimed that “ethnic quotas in public institutions” are in contrast to the principle of equality. The bill seeks to bring all New Zealanders equal under the law. The Māori fear that this will effectively disadvantage their rights, sparking widespread Māori protests since 2024.  

Third, the haka. Haka is a traditional Māori chant and dance. It is an expression of identity, emotion, and unity, performed to mark important life moments like birth, death, and major public ceremonies. While it originated as a war dance, today it is seen in both resistance and solemn settings. The three suspended MPs performed the haka at the parliament in November ahead of a vote on the Treaty Principles Bill. The haka, led by Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, tore up a copy of the bill, received global attention. In May, the parliamentary privileges committee stated that the MPs (for performing the haka) acted in "a manner that could have the effect of intimidating a member of the house."
 
In perspective
First, implications for Māori rights. The haka protest and subsequent suspensions highlight ongoing tensions over Māori rights. The bill, though defeated, exposed the issues in New Zealand’s political landscape, with thousands rallying against perceived threats to their rights. The global resonance of the haka, sparked by Maipi-Clarke’s haka protest, showcases the impact of cultural resistance. However, the suspensions risk alienating indigenous communities. This reflects broader questions about how New Zealand reconciles its bicultural foundation with modern governance, with implications for Indigenous rights advocacy.  

Second, the rarity of suspensions. Suspensions are rare in New Zealand, with only three MPs suspended in the past decade, the longest previously being three days. The 21-day bans for Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi and a seven-day ban for Maipi-Clarke imply a stark escalation, raising questions on fairness and proportionality for the Māori in the parliament. 


About the author
R Preetha is a postgraduate student at Stella Maris College, Chennai

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