Suspended for a Haka: Māori Lawmakers Challenge Power in New Zealand’s Parliament

In a historic move, New Zealand legislators voted to impose record suspensions on three Māori Party lawmakers after they performed a Māori haka in November to protest a proposed bill that would have rewritten Treaty of Waitangi principles dating back to 1840.

Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban, while party leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi were suspended for 21 days—far exceeding the previous three-day maximum.

A parliamentary committee noted the punishment stemmed from the lawmakers’ actions in striding across the floor toward opponents during the haka.

Critics claim the response is harsher because they are Māori, even as haka continue to be celebrated across the nation.

Tens of thousands protested the bill last November, highlighting ongoing social and economic inequities faced by Māori despite growing legal recognition.