New Zealand MPs Protest Bill with Haka Dance in Parliament

New Zealand: Some members of New Zealand’s parliament protested a controversial bill by performing the traditional Maori haka dance. The protest was led by 22-year-old Hana Rawhiti-Maihi Clark, the youngest MP in New Zealand. In a powerful moment, Clark tore up the bill and began dancing the haka in the chamber, with other MPs and some people in the gallery joining her. The Speaker of the House then adjourned the session due to the disruption.

The bill being protested concerns a new interpretation of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, an agreement between the British Crown and New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people. Clark, who is Maori, strongly opposed the bill, saying it threatens the rights of her people.

Hana Clark’s protest highlights ongoing concerns about the protection of Maori rights and culture in New Zealand.