Māori MPs protested a new law with a haka in the New Zealand parliament – and the world is cheering them on
Now this is how you protest new legislation in parliament.
This week, the New Zealand parliament was brought to a halt by MPs performing a haka to protest a controversial bill that critics say would diminish a treaty that’s one of the country’s foundational documents with the Māori people.
22-year-old MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, the youngest member of parliament from the opposition Te Pāti Māori party, began the traditional ceremonial dance after the Speaker of the House asked her if the party would support the bill – but not before tearing up the document in question.
These videos give you different angles on the extraordinary scenes.
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Parliament suspended after floor-shaking haka by Te Pāti Māori pic.twitter.com/K6FJkNLL7T
— Nick (@StrayDogNZ) November 14, 2024
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New Zealand’s Parliament was temporarily suspended after Māori lawmakers performed a haka, a traditional dance, demonstrating their community’s anger and fear over a bill that aims to reinterpret the country’s founding treaty with its Indigenous people. https://t.co/xrL0m67ksi pic.twitter.com/C67pLS8lVI
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 15, 2024
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Here’s a better angle that shows the @Maori_Party performing the haka right up in David Seymour’s face.
He looks shit scared. https://t.co/VM0Qx76P34 pic.twitter.com/JdBe6B5GlR
— Nick (@StrayDogNZ) November 14, 2024
The scenes have gone viral across social media platforms, with people from across the world cheering on the act of defiance.
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I need this photo plastered everywhere across Aotearoa.
Look what happens when you try and rewrite history and diminish Maori.
Toitu Te Tiriti ✊ pic.twitter.com/LVgn8HdW8W
— VaiTribe (@VaiTribe) November 14, 2024
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The haka yesterday only raised the stature of the New Zealand parliament. People around the world are looking at us with curiosity & admiration. I am proud of @Maori_Party for a rare win in the parliament’s history of predominantly being a vehicle for the interests of the… pic.twitter.com/LzcvulLsPM
— Josephine Varghese (@Ppl_not_profits) November 15, 2024
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Meanwhile in New Zealand’s Parliament – here is what it looks like to push back and stand tall and I am here for ALL of it.
New Zealand’s parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday after Te Pati Maori MPs staged a haka (a traditional Maori dance made famous by New… pic.twitter.com/PsEHkE1qKh— Black Mommy Activist, PhD (@kayewhitehead) November 15, 2024
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Me, an American with very little stake in New Zealand politics, every single time the māori do the haka in protest of colonizer nonsense in their country: https://t.co/wEkijSXUHM pic.twitter.com/oHUCWlUPFm
— Jenni Tabler, PhD (@jenni_tabler) November 15, 2024
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✊ stunning and moving show of resistance as New Zealand MPs disrupt parliament to protest the bill that would reinterpret the nation’s founding treaty with indigenous Māori. Hearts afire for MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke who started the haka and also ripped the bill up❤️ pic.twitter.com/U30lz45Sc6
— Radical Books Collective (@WARSCAPES) November 15, 2024
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Idk what’s going on in New Zealand but she ate this. Tearing the paper, the room erupting in Haka. Non-Māori shitting themselves. Iconic ↕️ pic.twitter.com/Zjlft6M9TV
— শাহান | شاہان ❄️ (@S_Hussain_1999) November 14, 2024
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Let the world see the haka isn’t just for rugby games, graduations, weddings and funerals. Let them get a glimpse of its original intention and if it makes anyone uncomfortable to see it outside of those other contexts then stop using it. stop telling us that when you saw it
— mack (@aceekmr) November 14, 2024
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Every time Māori use a haka in the context of our national politics, Americans get mad at us about it. They want our culture to be a packaged product they can consume in the as entertainment. It’s imperative we don’t let them reduce us to monkeys dancing for them on cue.
— emmy rākete (@cannibality) November 14, 2024
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Watching a 21 year old female Maori MP tear a bill in the New Zealand parliament because she doesn’t agree with it is definitely one of the best things I have witnessed this year.
— Binti Swahiliya #ForLiberty (@bintiswahiliya) November 15, 2024
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this is one of the most moving things i’ve ever seen
they’re trying to legislate away the indigenous māori people’s rights in the new zealand constitution via a bullshit parliamentary maneuver https://t.co/l1r6rvFErU
— shuly שולי (@itztagninut) November 14, 2024
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Leave it to this brilliant and fierce 22-year-old member of New Zealand’s Parliament, Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, to show Democrats how to resist as Trump attempts to transform America into a fascist authoritarian autocracy. pic.twitter.com/6gRyathJhC
— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) November 16, 2024
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Me liking every tweet of Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke leading the haka in NZ parliament pic.twitter.com/FI2jIkSbBc
— ☽ (@_smileangel) November 14, 2024
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The MP who led yesterday's haka in parliament says it was the last tool in their toolkit to have their voices heard.
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke says "we didn't get the opportunity to challenge the bill as much as we would have liked to through point of orders, speeches & debates" pic.twitter.com/CjpbuM6BlG
— Nick (@StrayDogNZ) November 15, 2024
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Today I learned who Hana-Rawhiti Maipa-Clarke is and what she did today and it is honestly the single most badass thing I have seen in my life https://t.co/mLflaUoxl9
— Krixia Subingsubing (@krixiasINQ) November 14, 2024
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I want Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke to fight Jake Paul. I don't think she can be beaten. pic.twitter.com/lASzfSh5RK
— John Lurie (@lurie_john) November 16, 2024
Source: Twitter/X/StrayDogNZ