The (so-called) powerful Privileges Committee, made up of Parliament’s most senior MPs, should slap Te Pāti Māori MPs Rawiri Waititi, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke with the banishment they crave, then go even further.
Ban them from Parliament, stop their pay and leave them there until they accept they must play by the rules and laws of this country and our democracy. Allowing them to do otherwise creates two New Zealands, two sets of rules, and that would be a disaster.
It means in light of recent events, the Privileges Committee itself now faces its biggest test ever. As chair, Judith Collins can effectively recommend whatever punishment the committee agrees on, including suspension from Parliament, docking salaries and telling them not to return until they’re ready to play by the agreed rules.
It would be highly controversial and unprecedented as a punishment, and I doubt the committee would be brave enough to do it, but Te Pāti Māori’s level of defiance is unprecedented.
Believe it or not, behind the scenes in Parliament, MPs do actually make the place work; they cooperate far more than most realise. But Te Pāti Māori’s approach is next level. They have won few friends and appear to be offside with many who wish to get on and represent New Zealanders and tackle the many issues facing us.
Co-leaders Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi, along with Maipi-Clarke, refused to turn up to a committee hearing this week after being referred to the committee in November for their haka at the first reading of the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. Labour’s Peeni Henare also took part.
The protest went viral, viewed around the world 700 million times, but it breached Parliament’s long- standing rules and Speaker Gerry Brownlee suspend proceedings. As a result, the four MPs were called to face the Privileges Committee.
Henare appeared last month, and the committee ruled his behaviour disorderly but did not find him in contempt. He says attending a committee hearing was the right thing to do, RNZ reported: “I think if we honour the institution of Parliament, we come here to do a job, I do think they should look toward attending, I mean - I did. The sooner you get it done, you’ve got the opportunity to fight for things our people care about right now.”
But Ngarewa-Packer, Waititi and Maipi-Clarke are standing their ground. Boycotting the committee hearing, they said it was a “kangaroo court” and that the issue was bigger than a “silly little Privileges Committee and their silly little rules”. The committee has given them until April 23 to front up.
It’s not going to happen, say the three MPs, because they intend holding their own “alternative independent hearing” at Parliament in May because they believe they have been denied “natural justice”.
Unfortunately, that’s not how things work; MPs don’t get to be so dismissive of Parliament’s rules. But the trio were never going to agree to accepting the rules of their workplace, not when they see themselves as activists on the big stage. They’ve chosen to be openly defiant, using Parliament as a theatre to protest, not as a place in which progress can be made for all people.
It’s not their right to just not turn up to a Privileges Committee hearing. Ordinary New Zealanders must show up to a court summons or any other date with the judiciary or a warrant is issued for their arrest. Māori place much focus on other Kiwis understanding and adhering to tikanga on their marae, but by being so dismissive of Parliament’s rules, Te Pāti Māori threaten to take race relations backwards.
Then again, and at the risk of sounding like I’m having an argument with myself, maybe Te Pāti Māori is smart. The MPs know their base, they’re sick of waiting for change that never comes, and the only way they know is through protest.
I do think there is a time and a place for Parliament to look at how it incorporates Māori custom, protocols and tikanga, as have the public service and corporates across the country, but I believe Te Pāti Māori is going about it the wrong way.
To me, it seems they’re more interested in their latest TikTok and Instagram rather than hard slog. After all, why take the easy route and say sorry when you’ve decided to no longer be a constructive force in the country’s politics?
Last week, I wrote that Te Pāti Māori was too radical for government. They’ve delivered another seven days of evidence to back that up. Their approach to our democracy is disruptive and disrespectful; they show disdain for the Pākehā world and the Westminster rules which underscore our Parliamentary system.
