New Zealand MP Performs Traditional Maori Dance As She Tears Copy Of Contentious Bill: Watch

Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke, New Zealand's youngest MP, performed a haka during House proceedings, opposing a bill that reinterprets a treaty between the Maori and the British.

The youngest New Zealand MP tore the copy of the Bill as she led other Maori MPs to perform the haka.

Source : X

New Zealand's youngest MP Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke once again made headlines as she performed the traditional Maori dance opposing a contentious bill during House proceedings. 

The 22-year-old Te Pati Maori MP first grabbed attention when she performed a haka during her maiden speech last year. 

On Thursday, the proceedings of the Parliament were briefly suspended after the MP followed by other lawmakers staged the protest. Video of the incident shared on social media showed the MP first declaring that she opposed the bill and then performing the dance as she tore the copy of the bill. She was soon joined by other Maori MPs, prompting Speaker Gerry Brownlee to briefly suspend the House.

The proposed bill seeks to reinterpret a 184-year-old treaty between the Indigenous Maori and the British, according to Reuters. 

🔥Unprecedented & simply magnificent. That time in Nov 2024 when a haka led by Aotearoa’s youngest MP 22yo Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke erupted in the House stopping the Treaty Principles Bill from passing its first reading, triggering the Speaker to suspend Parliament.… pic.twitter.com/pkI7q7WGlr

— Kelvin Morgan 🇳🇿 (@kelvin_morganNZ) November 14, 2024

The Treaty of Waitangi was first signed in 1840 between the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs laying down how the two parties agreed to govern. The interpretation of clauses in the document still guides legislation and policy in the country. 

Maori rights and privileges have witnessed expansion over the decade that can be attributed to rulings by courts and a separate Maori tribunal. However, some have argued that it has discriminated against non-Indigenous citizens. 

The ACT New Zealand party, an ally of the ruling centre-right coalition government introduced a bill to enshrine a narrower interpretation of the Waitangi treaty in law.

The bill was opposed by Te Pati Maori MPs who stood and began a haka, the traditional Maori dance made famous by New Zealand's rugby team. 

The controversial legislation is seen by many Maori and their supporters as undermining the rights of the country's Indigenous people who make up around 20 per cent of New Zealand's total population of 5.3 million.