The Defiance of Te Pāti Māori

Matua Kahurangi
Matua Kahurangi is an unemployed journalist who newsrooms hate. Matua is based in the Far North.

Te Pāti Māori’s refusal to appear before the Privileges Committee over their disruptive haka in parliament is a brazen display of arrogance and entitlement. Their decision to ignore a formal summons demonstrates a fundamental disregard for the rules of democratic governance and the very institution they are elected to serve. Rather than facing scrutiny like any other member of parliament would be expected to, they have chosen to hide behind claims of unfairness, painting themselves as perpetual victims while undermining parliamentary process.

The Privileges Committee exists to uphold the integrity of parliament, ensuring that its members abide by the rules that govern them. If every MP who disagreed with the process simply refused to participate, the system would collapse into chaos. Te Pāti Māori’s rejection of the summons is not an act of principled resistance. It is political theatre: an opportunistic stunt designed to rally their base while shirking accountability.

Their argument that they won’t receive a fair hearing because their requests were denied is a weak excuse. The committee is not beholden to meet their every demand, especially when it comes to accommodating personal schedules or allowing external advisers. Every MP who faces the Privileges Committee does so under the same conditions. Why should Te Pāti Māori be given special treatment? If they truly believed in their actions, they would have the courage to defend them before the committee instead of making petulant excuses.

This latest act of defiance follows a troubling pattern of behavior from Te Pāti Māori. Time and again, they have shown that they consider themselves above the very system they are a part of. They are not outsiders fighting against oppression. They are elected representatives, paid by taxpayers to uphold the democratic process. Instead, they choose to disrupt parliament, ignore protocols, and then cry foul when held to account.

Their refusal to appear before the committee is an insult to the democratic principles New Zealanders expect their elected officials to uphold. If they cannot respect the institutions of parliament, perhaps they should reconsider whether they deserve a place within it at all.

This article was originally published on the author’s Substack.