New Zealand’s parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday after Maori members staged a haka to disrupt the vote on a contentious bill that would reinterpret a 184-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori.

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.

New Zealand Parliament Suspended as Maori Lawmakers Perform Haka | Vantage with Palki Sharma In New Zealand, MPs disrupted the parliament with haka to protest the indigenous treaty bill. The bill aims to reinterpret the country's founding treaty with its indigenous people.

New Zealand’s parliament descended into chaos as Maori members staged a haka in protest against a bill that would “reinterpret” the country’s founding treaty.

The controversial Treaty Principles Bill would end the Māori right of self-determination outlined in a nearly 200-year-old treaty, opposition parties say. ACT leader and bill author David Seymour said he wants the bill to end the practice of granting Māori citizens "different rights from other New Zealanders.