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Three Te Pāti Māori MPs who performed a tense haka in Parliament during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill last year say they are refusing to attend a hearing with Parliament’s Privileges Committee over concerns their “fundamental” legal rights are being ignored.
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rāwiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Waikato MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke are due to appear before the committee on Wednesday 2 April.
A video of Maipi-Clarke performing the haka – Ka Mate – went viral last year and recently Labour MP Peeni Henare was found to have acted in a “disorderly” way for also joining in on the haka, but was not in “contempt” of the house’s rules.
The hearing was set after concerns were raised to the committee by NZ First, National and ACT party MPs about the their conduct during the first reading of the controversial bill.
RNZ
