Editorial: Parliament cuts its tie rule after ejection of Māori party's Rawiri Waititi

Rawiri Waititi's ejection from Parliament for refusing to wear a tie was inherently ridiculous. Photo / Mark Mitchell

EDITORIAL:

After loosening their ties over summer, the return of Parliament this week has given MPs the chance to loosen them for good.

Speaker Trevor Mallard's ejection of Māori party co-leader Rawiri Waititi on Tuesday for refusing to wear a tie, opting instead for hei-tiki, was inherently ridiculous.

While Mallard no doubt felt he was obliged to uphold the rules of the House, the decision to boot out a Māori MP for selecting a formal piece of Māori attire ahead of an English-style necktie received little support from even the most conservative sartorialists.

The Herald's front page headline on Tuesday, "So this is NZ politics in 2021?" summed it up as the story of New Zealand politicians getting tied up in knots over dress code was picked up around the world.

Thankfully, a resolution came swiftly when Mallard made ties optional after consulting with the Standing Orders committee. On Thursday, a handful of male MPs took advantage of the change - including Green Party co-leader James Shaw, Labour's Phil Twyford and Act MP James McDowall.

However, the relaxation of standards does slightly miss the point of Waititi's original objection. He was wearing formal dress, but with hei-tiki in place of a tie, just as Green MP Ricardo Menendez had been allowed to wear a traditional Mexican bolo tie in the House.

Parliament is clearly not a place to "chillax" in jandals and a polo shirt, so it is good that male MPs are still required to wear "appropriate business attire". With ties cut, whatever MPs now choose to wear should befit the importance of the institution. No mufti days please.