WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A vote in New Zealand’s parliament was suspended and two lawmakers ejected on Thursday when dramatic political theater erupted over a controversial proposed law redefining the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous ...

A vote in New Zealand’s parliament was suspended and two lawmakers ejected Thursday amid debate over a controversial proposed law redefining the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown.

The haka, often associated with New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team, is much more than a pre-game ritual; it is a cornerstone of Maori culture, embodying history, identity, and emotion.

New Zealand's parliament was suspended and two lawmakers were ejected during a vote on a controversial proposed law redefining the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown.

Parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday after Maori members performed a haka — a traditional ceremonial group dance — to disrupt the vote on a controversial bill.

The New Zealand Parliament was suspended after Maori members staged a haka to disrupt the vote on a contentious bill to reinterpret an 184-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori. The controversial legislation is seen by many Maori and their supporters as undermining the rights of the country’s Indigenous people,

Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke of New Zealand’s Māori party rose and began a Haka, tearing a copy of the proposed law in half.

This is the moment New Zealand Maori MPs disrupt parliament with a haka to protest against a treaty bill. New Zealand’s parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday (14 November), after Maori members staged a haka to disrupt the vote on a contentious bill that could reinterpret an 184-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori.