The bill, proposed last week by NZ's center-right Act Party, aims to enshrine a narrower interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi. Historically, the treaty's principles have been loosely woven into various pieces of legislation by the country's courts, giving the Maori people increasingly expanded privileges, per BBC, something that has been argued has stirred up racial division. The Act Party wishes to see the treaty "interpreted more fairly through parliament," the outlet states. The party's leader David Seymour, NZ's associate justice minister, stated that the courts "have been able to develop principles that have been used to justify actions that are contrary to the principle of equal rights" including "ethnic quotas in public institutions" that inhibit equal rights for all New Zealanders.
Critics of the bill claim it will divide the country further and lead to the Maori losing support they have depended on for decades, including preferential placement in jobs and even healthcare. The Maori make up about 20 percent of New Zealand's population.
When asked by NZ House of Representatives Speaker Gerry Brownlee if the Maori party supported the bill, MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke began the traditional Maori dance which involves bulging eyes, thrashing movements, and lizard-like tongue movements while stomping and singing/shouting in the Maori native tongue.
As more Maori MPs and others in the chamber joined in, Browlee uttered "No, don't do that" to no avail. The participants continued, growing more intense and gathering directly in front of Seymore who sat and watched expressionless. Parliament was suspended for the day and the vote was called for a later date.
Seymour has stated that those who oppose the bill are trying to "stir up" fear and division. "My mission is to empower every person," he stated. The Act official X account posted a clip of Maipi-Clarke, who is the youngest MP at age 21, ripping up the legislation in front of her as she began the haka with the caption "Here’s what the Māori Party thinks of equal rights and democracy."
