Speaker Gerry Brownlee suspended the House and ordered the public gallery cleared.
A massive haka started by Te Pāti Māori MPs and joined by those in the public galleries forced the Speaker to suspend Parliament and interrupted the passing of the Treaty Principles Bill.
The haka came as parties were casting their votes on the bill, following a series of often emotional and angry speeches - which also resulted in Labour MP Willie Jackson being kicked out of Parliament.
Te Pāti Māori MP Hana Maipi-Clarke stood to cast Te Pāti Māori’s votes and began the haka, ignoring Brownlee’s attempt to stop it.
She was joined by party co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi and those in the public gallery. Ngarewa-Packer, Waititi and Maipi-Clarke performed their haka directly in front of Act leader David Seymour.
Labour’s Willie Jackson told to leave the House after calling David Seymour a ‘liar’ as debate over Treaty Principles Bill rages on November 14, 2024. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The haka was deafening within the House as those in the public gallery rose to their feet and issued their challenge. Seymour remained seated during the haka.
Several Labour and Green Party MPs performed the haka alongside Te Pāti Māori.
It was in defiance of Brownlee’s earlier rulings to the public gallery not to make any noise or interject, or risk being kicked out.
Brownlee stood until the haka had paused and then suspended Parliament and ordered the public galleries to be emptied out.
Earlier, Brownlee had also told Labour MP Willie Jackson to leave the Debating Chamber for the rest of the day after Jackson refused to apologise for calling Seymour a “liar.” Calling an MP a liar is banned in Parliament - Jackson had refused to apologise, saying he had been passing on comments made by those on the hīkoi.
Jackson had given a passionate speech, accusing National and its leader Christopher Luxon of being cowards for buckling to allow Seymour to have the first reading and a select committee hearing on the bill. National has said it would vote against the bill at second reading.
Later on Thursday afternoon, bells rang in Parliament and MPs slowly returned to the chamber.
The Speaker has named Maipi-Clarke and suggested a motion suspending her.
Brownlee said the actions from the MP and her party were “appalling” and “disrespectful”, deeming such pre-meditated behaviour as “grossly disorderly”.
Holding a vote on Maipi-Clarke’s suspension, National, Act and NZ First supported it. Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori opposed it.
Maipi-Clarke was not in the House as the vote was cast. It’s unclear how long the suspension will last.
Seymour is questioning whether others who took part in the haka should be named, particularly for approaching him.
He said a similar incident recently has been a matter of privilege. That’s a reference to Greens’ MP Julie Anne Genter’s outburst at minister Matt Doocey.
The Speaker said naming was a serious action and he would reserve it for the instigator.
