When the ACT New Zealand Party proposed narrowing the Treaty of Waitangi’s terms, twenty-two-year-old lawmaker Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke ripped a copy of the bill in half and began a haka, in which her fellow Māori Party members followed. This traditional dance was made popular by the All Blacks rugby team but has existed for centuries. In addition to political demonstrations and sporting events, the haka also appears at weddings, birthdays, and other celebrations.
On November 14, the nation of New Zealand erupted in protest as a controversial bill reached the parliament floor. This bill would reinterpret the terms of the Treaty of Waitangi, an agreement between the British monarch and hundreds of Māori chiefs signed in 1840. Despite being a product of British colonial rule and having granted the monarch superiority over the tribes, the treaty did promise the Māori the same rights as British citizens and protected their land. It now serves as the country’s founding document and even has its own holiday to commemorate it, which is celebrated annually on its anniversary of February 6. Even though it is only a semi-legal document and does not have the same power that the Constitution has over the United States government, Parliament has frequently referred to it in the policymaking process. So when there’s discussion about changes in a country’s relations with one-fifth of its population, there will surely be controversy.
David Seymour, leader of the lean-right ACT party, claims that current interpretations unfairly discriminate non-indigenous peoples. He asserts he wants to “empower every person”. However, the Māori people fear that this bill could threaten their protected lands, as well as government programs for education and healthcare. After Prime Minister Jacinda Adern failed to seek reelection after her term ended in 2023, they feared that a rightward shift would place them in danger
