Last year, three members who performed the traditional “haka” dance in the New Zealand parliament as a protest against government policy were penalized. Their actions reignited intense debates on national consensus issues in the country.
The parliament imposed a 7-day suspension on member “Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke” and introduced a 21-day ban against the leaders of the “Māori” party — Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
The deputies opposed a bill focused on revisiting national contracts, which triggered numerous protests in the parliament and was eventually rejected.
Upon hearing the verdict, “Maipi-Clarke” expressed their dismay by saying, “Is our voice too loud for this building — is that why we are being punished?”
This incident signifies the first time such strict measures have been applied against deputies representing the interests of national minorities in the New Zealand parliament.
