WELLINGTON, May 15 (NNN-RNZ) – Three members of parliament from New Zealand’s Maori Party, will be suspended, following a haka protest during a parliamentary debate on the controversial Treaty Principles Bill last Nov, according to the recommendations from a committee yesterday.
MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke will be suspended for seven days, while party co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi face 21-day suspensions and formal censure, the Privileges Committee said.
The suspensions, among the longest in New Zealand parliamentary history, are expected to be confirmed by a parliamentary vote next Tuesday, with government MPs likely to support the motion, which means the MPs will miss next week’s Budget debate, and lose their salaries during the period.
The Privileges Committee ruled the MPs acted in a way that could be seen as “intimidating a member of the House,” particularly because the protest interrupted a live vote, an act deemed a serious breach of parliamentary protocol.
The committee clarified that, the issue was not the haka itself, but the timing and manner of its performance.
The three MPs submitted written statements citing concerns over procedural fairness and the exclusion of Maori customary practices from the process.
The Maori Party condemned the decision as “grossly unjust” and “personal,” asserting that while their MPs can be suspended, their political movement cannot.
The Labour and Green parties, two opposition parties in New Zealand, argued, the penalties were “unduly severe” and “completely out of proportion.”– NNN-RNZ
