New Zealand’s parliament was briefly suspended yesterday after Maori lawmakers staged a ceremonial haka dance in protest of a vote on a controversial bill that would redefine the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Maori and the British Crown.
The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi granted Maori tribes extensive rights to retain their lands and safeguard their interests in exchange for ceding governance to the British. The proposed bill, however, seeks to extend these special rights to all New Zealanders.
Although the bill passed its first reading, it is unlikely to gain enough support to become law. Introduced last week by the ACT New Zealand party, a junior partner in the ruling centre-right coalition, it received initial backing from coalition partners National and New Zealand First under the coalition agreement. However, both parties have confirmed they will not support it beyond the first reading, making its passage highly improbable.
The legislation has sparked strong opposition among Maori and their advocates, who view it as a threat to the rights of New Zealand’s Indigenous people, who make up about 20% of the country’s 5.3 million population.
