Overview

• The Privileges Committee has recommended suspensions of 7 to 21 days for three Māori Party MPs, marking the harshest penalties in New Zealand parliamentary history.
• The MPs performed a protest haka during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill, which sought to reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi and was later defeated in April 2025.
• The suspensions include salary forfeiture and voting disqualification, with Parliament expected to approve the recommendations in an upcoming vote.
• The Māori Party has condemned the penalties as racially unjust and a threat to Indigenous protest rights, while critics argue the MPs’ actions constituted intimidation and contempt of Parliament.
• A Labour MP who also participated in the haka was not suspended but issued an apology, highlighting inconsistencies in the enforcement of parliamentary rules.