The New Zealand Parliament has voted to impose record suspensions on three lawmakers who did a Maori haka as a protest. The incident took place last November during a debate on a law on Indigenous rights.

New Zealand’s parliament on Thursday agreed to lengthy suspensions for three lawmakers who disrupted the reading of a controversial bill last year by performing a haka, a traditional Maori dance.

Two parliamentarians — Te Pati Maori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi — were suspended for 21 days and one — Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, from the same party — for seven days.

Before now, the longest suspension of a parliamentarian in New Zealand was three days.

      • Etterra@discuss.online
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        2 days ago

        No it’s a document that implies that they’re racist but hiding behind rules to make it seem like they’re not.

  • glaber@lemm.ee
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    7 days ago

    And, in 2025, the Pākehā keep deciding what happens to indigenous land and indigenous resources, without letting Maori have any voice in it. Toitū te Tiriti!

    • Madison420@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      You expected more? She knew it was going to happen, she did it specifically so it would happen and history won’t look fondly in their bullshit suspension.

  • mcv@lemm.ee
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    7 days ago

    What!? But that haka was awesome! How can you not enjoy that?

  • FauxPseudo @lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    ‘If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.’

  • CircaV@lemmy.ca
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    6 days ago

    Shame. Wtf is wrong with your shitty shitty politics New Zealand?!!?! (Not an American, so I can call out anti-Indigenous politics)

    • JacksonLamb@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      Not an American, so I can call out anti-Indigenous politics

      Any decent human being can and should call out anti-Indigenous politics, no matter their nationality.

      • CircaV@lemmy.ca
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        6 days ago

        Yes, but I just don’t see anything resembling reconciliation happening in the US vis-a-vis Indigenous peoples there. Like, in the US there doesn’t appear to be any reconciliation, not even symbolic gestures like land acknowledgements at events, or meaningful involvement of Indigenous people in settler politics. Are any elected officials in the US also Indigenous, like - at all?

        • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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          6 days ago

          Your logic doesn’t make sense to me, you’re saying people in the US cannot spot and criticize injustices happening in other places because those same injustices are happening in their home country? What about the people who do criticize them locally? Or the natives who are affected by them locally?

        • JacksonLamb@lemmy.world
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          6 days ago

          How is that relevant to who can and can’t discuss Indigenous rights though? Surely the more people in the world who care about Indigenous rights, the better.

          To answer your question the US has about 5 out of 435 members, Canada has about 12 out of 343 members. New Zealand has about 33 out of 123 members which is obviously a much larger proportion of their total.

          I will never understand why so many Canadians and Americans seem so unaware of one anothers’ Indigenous rights movements. You are neighbouring countries and some of your Indigenous nations are cross-border.

  • skisnow@lemmy.ca
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    5 days ago

    I don’t know anything about New Zealand, or Maori culture, or history, or parliamentary procedure, or the Treaty Principles Bill, or the hearings that led to this decision, or the Haka, or sociology, or anthropology, or race relations, or indigenous issues, but I think…

    why don’t they just have everyone do their hakas at the start, like in the rugby?

  • Justathroughdaway@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    As someone who is half-Maori this just embarrasses me. I don’t have a problem with people celebrating their heritage and culture just do it in a more appropriate time and place. I wouldn’t have a problem with Irish people celebrating the Saint Patrick’s Day just as long as they don’t do it during a meeting at parliament.

  • Dr. Moose@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    Unpopular opinion but interruption is interruption no matter the form. I do agree with the native protest here but I wouldn’t read into this ruling too much as any governing body would take this position. Weak governing rule set creates these loopholes like the American filibuster which imo is a bug not a feature.

  • Gorilladrums@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    I support the suspensions. If all the other members abide by the same rules except for these ones then it makes sense reprimand them for disrupting the duties of parliament. These lawmakers were elected to be the voice of the people they represent. If they’re not using their voice to explain why they oppose the bill or what their proposed alternatives are then they’re not doing their job. Screaming and tearing up papers is just annoying and wasting everyone’s time.

    • BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      You are being downvoted because, whether you realize it or not, what you wrote is extremely racist.

      These are Maori. It’s their land and their traditions, and they are being attacked for both by white, authoritarian colonists. It’s unacceptable.

    • AppleTea@lemmy.zip
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      6 days ago

      These lawmakers were elected to be the voice of the people they represent.

      https://www.dw.com/en/new-zealand-42000-demonstrate-support-for-maori-rights/a-70816454

      New Zealand: 42,000 demonstrate support for Maori rights

      Thousands turned out despite the bill having little chance of becoming law, saying it was important to show the extent of dissent

      but feel free to keep jerkin it to ‘norms and civility’, i suppose jagoff

      • Gorilladrums@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        I don’t think you understand that norms and civility are a requirement for a peaceful, well functioning democracy. If you see them as a nuisance then you’re either an authoritarian or an idiot. Like seriously, do you think society is going to function if every self righteous politician start being obnoxious when something doesn’t go their way? That braindead mentality is literally how we ended up with Trump and MAGA in the US. It is THE first pillar to fall when on your way to authoritarianism.

        These politicians can support or oppose whatever they want, it’s their job to do so. However, disrupting the duties of the parliament is not a part of their job, and they know that. If a couple of white politicians in New Zealand started doing berserker rituals every time something doesn’t go their way in parliament, will you still be making excuses? If not, then you hold double standards and you’re racist. They’re the same people, in the same country, and they should abide by customs that they set for themselves. The New Zealand parliament usually has 120, 117 members with vastly different opinions can conduct themselves just fine, 3 can’t. Those 3 got suspended.

        • AppleTea@lemmy.zip
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          5 days ago

          When the Maori invade england and start forcing their customs on the people there, then maybe you might come somewhere close to pointing out a double standard. (also, berserker brits, lol what a concept)

          We don’t have Trump because people started behaving poorly, we have Trump because there’s been half a century of constricting living standards and a wealthy political duopoly that just doesn’t care. Obama bailing out the banks rather than the people that lost their homes did more to kill civility than anything Trump has done.

          • Gorilladrums@lemmy.world
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            5 days ago

            When the Maori invade england and start forcing their customs on the people there, then maybe you might come somewhere close to pointing out a double standard.

            But the framing is wrong. If Maori invaded Britain 250 years ago and over time, the two peoples mixed and created a well run multi racial liberal democracy where all it’s citizens enjoy full rights, then the same standard applies. If a couple of politicians of British origin were being obnoxious and were disrupting the duties of the parliament, and the rest of the politicians decided to suspend them for their behavior, then I would be fully in favor of that too. Being of a specific ethnicity doesn’t get anyone a pass to be obnoxious.

            also, berserker brits, lol what a concept

            It’s not a concept, it’s actual history. The vikings were a big part of British history.

            We don’t have Trump because people started behaving poorly, we have Trump because there’s been half a century of constricting living standards and a wealthy political duopoly that just doesn’t care. Obama bailing out the banks rather than the people that lost their homes did more to kill civility than anything Trump has done.

            These two things aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, they go together hand in hand. Think about it, who focuses the most on useless shit like culture wars that are meant to stir fear and anger in people in our political landscape? It’s almost always either corrupt politicians or obnoxious idiots, often times it’s both. The point is that the people who are making things worse are also the people who have no manners, ethics, or morals.