Watch New Zealand Parliament suspended due to unexpected haka
An unsanctioned haka broke out during a session of New Zealand’s parliament, forcing the speaker to suspend the session.
Proceedings in New Zealand’s parliament were abruptly interrupted by a haka performance.
Te Pati Māori’s Orini Kaipara gave his first speech on Thursday after being elected to fill the vacant seat. MPs and supporters commemorated the moment with a planned Maori song, but the celebrations escalated when members of the general public broke into an unsanctioned haka, a traditional Maori dance.
House Speaker Jerry Brownlee ordered them to stop.
“No, that’s not true. I have a guarantee that nothing like that will happen,” he said, interrupting the discussion.
Performances such as haka and singing in parliament require prior approval.
Watch the video above to see a haka break out in Congress.
The haka can be a signal of celebration or protest and can convey a variety of messages. In 2024, parliament was briefly suspended after Māori MPs performed a haka in opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill, which seeks to reinterpret the 184-year-old treaty between Britain and the indigenous Māori people.
Watch the video below to see the moment Hana Rafiti Maipi Clark broke the bill and started a haka protest.
Parliament adjourned with a haka performance by Maori MPs
In New Zealand, parliament was temporarily adjourned after Maori performed a haka in protest of the Treaty Principles Bill.
