Three New Zealand MPs have been handed record parliamentary suspensions for performing a Māori haka during a protest against a controversial bill. Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban, while her party leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi were barred for 21 days. The previous longest suspension for a New Zealand MP was three days.
The Te Pāti Māori MPs performed the haka, a traditional Māori chanting dance, in November to oppose a bill they said would reverse Indigenous rights. The bill has since been defeated. The protest drew global attention and sparked months of debate about whether parliament valued or felt threatened by Māori culture.
A committee of MPs recommended the lengthy punishments in April, stating they were not for the haka itself but for striding across the debating chamber toward opponents. Maipi-Clarke rejected this, pointing to other instances where MPs left their seats without sanction. The suspensions were approved by a vote, as government parties hold a majority of seats.
Parliament speaker Gerry Brownlee had ordered a free-ranging debate on the punishments, urging consensus, but no agreement was reached. During hours of emotional speeches, government lawmakers rejected opposition proposals for lighter sanctions. The debate ended after MPs agreed the outcome was certain.
