Maori MPs Use Traditional Dance to Protest Bill in New Zealand Parliament
New ZealandFriday, November 15, 2024
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In New Zealand, things got a bit heated in parliament when Maori members decided to express their disapproval of a new bill in a unique way. They performed a haka, a traditional Maori dance, right in the middle of a vote. This bill is all about how to interpret the Treaty of Waitangi, a super old agreement between the British and the Maori. Some people think it's been expanding Maori rights too much, and that's not fair to non-Indigenous folks. But many Maori and their supporters see it as a threat to their rights. The leader of the ACT New Zealand party, which proposed the bill, said it's all about empowering everyone. But the parliament had to be suspended because the haka got so loud that people in the gallery joined in, making it hard to hear anything else.
Hundreds of people are even marching from the north to the capital, Wellington, to protest this bill. They'll arrive next Tuesday, and a big rally is expected. The bill has passed the first reading, but it might not have enough support to become a law. Some parties in the coalition government are only supporting it for now, but they won't back it when it really counts.