New Zealand’s Parliament was briefly suspended after Maori members staged a haka to disrupt the vote on a controversial bill that would reinterpret a 184-year-old treaty between the British and indigenous Maori.
First signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Maori chiefs, the Treaty of Waitangi sets out how the two sides agreed to govern.
The interpretation of the document’s clauses still guides legislation and policy today.
Rulings by the courts and a separate Māori tribunal have progressively expanded the rights and privileges of Māori over the decades.
However, some argue that this discriminated against non-Indigenous citizens.
The ACT New Zealand party, a junior partner in the ruling centre-right coalition government, last week introduced a bill to enshrine a more restrictive interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi into law.
On Thursday, as MPs gathered for a preliminary vote on the bill, Maori MPs in Te Pati stood up and began a haka, a traditional Maori dance made famous by the New Zealand rugby team.
Parliament was briefly suspended as those in the gallery joined in, and shouting drowned out others in the chamber.
ACT New Zealand leader David Seymour said people opposing the bill wanted to “foment” fear and division.
“My mission is to empower every person,” she said.
The controversial legislation, however, is seen by many Māori and their supporters as a threat to the rights of the country’s indigenous people, who make up about 20% of the population of 5.3 million.
The proposed law sparks protests across the country
Hundreds of people have embarked on a nine-day march, or hikoi, from northern New Zealand to the national capital Wellington to protest the legislation, staging demonstrations in towns and cities as they move south.
They will arrive in Wellington next Tuesday where tens of thousands of people are expected to gather for a large demonstration.
Even though the bill passed its first reading, it is unlikely to gain enough support to become law.
Coalition partners the National Party and New Zealand First only support the legislation through the first of three readings as part of the coalition agreement.
Both parties have said they will not support turning it into legislation, meaning it will almost certainly fail.