Te Pāti Māori haka: A balancing act for Labour as National seeks end to controversy
Photo:
RNZ/Mark Papalii
Analysis
: More than six months after Te Pāti Māori's hair-raising haka protest in Parliament, the saga has at last come to a close - but it foreshadows further fault lines ahead.
Government MPs endorsed the verdict as expected - a 21-day suspension for the co-leaders and seven days for Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke - after what was a fiery but fairly brief debate on Thursday afternoon.
In the end, suggestions of a drawn-out affair - or a form of filibuster - came to nothing: after just three hours, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi called time himself.
Inside the debating chamber, it was loud, fractious and sometimes ugly.
Te Pāti Māori put up
a defiant defence of its MPs' actions
, enthusiastically backed by its friends in the Greens.
All three individuals in the gun argued they had no choice but to act in the face of an attack on Te Tiriti.
"I will not apologise for my actions," said Maipi-Clarke. "We will wear this unapologetically," declared Ngarewa-Packer.
"We will not be silenced. We will not be assimilated. We will not be subjugated," concluded Waititi.
The National Party all but ghosted the debate, with only Chris Bishop standing to make a brief contribution: "Let's end this issue once and for all... and get back to the major issues facing this country."
Chris Bishop during the debate.
Photo:
VNP/Louis Collins
It was a calculated non-engagement, a judgement that while many New Zealanders may be unimpressed with Te Pāti Māori's behaviour, they perhaps aren't enthused by politicians engaging in slanging matches either.
Coalition partners ACT and New Zealand First showed no such qualms.
With ACT's David Seymour abroad - taking part in the renowned Oxford Union debate - it was left to his colleagues Parmjeet Parmar, Nicole McKee and Karen Chhour to hammer Te Pāti Māori for "playing the race card", "bullying" and "stand-over tactics".
NZ First leader Winston Peters
unleashed a barrage of insults
, at one point labelling Waititi an "extremist" with "scribbles on his face".
And he levelled a warning to Labour about defending the minor party.
"I hope that some sober, conservative, right-thinking Māori people in the Labour Party will wake up before it's too late," Peters said.
"[Te Pāti Māori] has left middle New Zealand a long time ago, and the Labour Party is going to leave them hanging in the wind too."
No doubt those comments were weighing on Labour MPs' minds as they challenged the punishment as "disproportionate" without endorsing Te Pāti Māori's rule-breaking.
Four of its MPs spoke in yesterday's debate, arguing the penalty was excessive and a dangerous precedent.
But they also gently chided Te Pāti Māori for its approach. Senior MP Willie Jackson suggested: "a sorry wouldn't go amiss."
Senior Labour MP Willie Jackson
Photo:
RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
And former Speaker Adrian Rurawhe cautioned: "When you come into this House, you swear the oath... you agree to the rules of this House. You can't have it both ways."
Labour leader Chris Hipkins' recent comments also tell a story. Speaking to RNZ last week, he questioned Te Pāti Māori's choice of priorities, a line aimed squarely at centrist voters who might support Māori aspirations but baulk at Te Pāti Māori's tactics.
The RNZ-Reid Research poll out this week also helps to explain Labour's caution.
A clear majority of voters - more than 54 percent - said the 21-day ban was either appropriate or not harsh enough.
Among Labour supporters specificially, that number was 38 percent. That is a sizeable proportion of voters, and a bloc Labour needs to hold if it is to have any hope of reclaiming government.
The severity of the punishment is undeniable, unprecedented in scale, seven times longer than any previous suspension.
Certainly, it is an uncomfortable image: a government using its majority to strip a minority opposition party of its voice in the debating chamber.
Opposition MPs used their speeches to lay out a litany of past offences that earned milder rebukes: the infamous Trevor Mallard-Tau Henare punch-up among them.
But, as with all comparisons, each crime is different in its own way. Government MPs point to Te Pāti Māori's repeated refusal to acknowledge wrongdoing, right down to the final debate.
They argue the punishment is not about silencing dissent, but defending institutional integrity.
On current polling, it is clear Labour will need Te Pāti Māori's support to form a coalition, and this week's debate should act as a clear illustration of the potential difficulty with that.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Climate Liberation Aotearoa protesters target Stockton Mine
First published on By Sharon Davis and Ellen Curnow* Protesters used the aerial ropeway cables as a zip line to access a coal bucket high off the ground. Photo: Supplied Climate activists have climbed into a coal bucket on the rope way at Stockton Mine again to protest Bathurst Resources Ltd's fast-track application to extend its mining operations across the Buller plateaux to Denniston. Yesterday afternoon, two Climate Liberation Aotearoa protesters clipped themselves to the ropeway cable and used it like a zipline to access a coal bucket in a remote area high off the ground. This follows a larger protest at Stockton and Denniston in April which ended with at least nine people charged with wilful trespass. Protester Rachel Andrews, from Palmerston North, was among those charged with trespass on 21 April. Speaking to The News from a coal bucket this morning she said they had a good supply of water and food and planned to disrupt the transport of coal from Stockton Mine for as long as possible. Their goal was to have Bathurst withdraw its fast-track application to mine 20 million tonnes of coal on the Denniston Plateau. While there are only two protesters in the coal bucket, she said they were supported by a huge group of people who were against the mine and the fast-track process. "There is huge opposition to this mine, even on the West Coast," she said. Andrews said there were several reasons she was personally motivated to participate. One was the legacy she would leave for future generations. She wanted to be able to tell her four grandchildren that she did everything she could to prevent a climate disaster. "We're in a climate emergency,,, people are dying from climate disasters. We can't afford to burn the coal already out of the ground, let alone mining more." Andrews was also unhappy with the "undemocratic process" under the Fast Track Bill. She said it placed the decision-making process in the hands of a few people who had shown that they didn't care about the environment and were proud to support more mines. Protest was the only way for the public to intervene in the fast-track process, she said. "There is no longer any way for members of the public to voice concerns about proposed projects like this coal mine on kiwi habitat. The New Zealand government has effectively forced communities to take actions like this if we want to be heard." Andrews spent part of the April protest in a "nest in one of pylons" and was trespassed from Stockton. She said a lot of thought had gone into planning an action like this. But any consequences would be worth it, to be able to say she had done everything she could to prevent a disaster for future generations. "I don't take the consequences lightly." Andrews said many organisations were committed to stopping fast-tracked mines and were in it for the long haul. "We will continue doing everything we can to oppose Bathurst Resources' proposed mine ... We will not stand idly by and accept this destruction," she said. The International Court of Justice recently said countries must address the "urgent and existential threat" of climate change by curbing emissions and yet New Zealand was encouraging more mines and more drilling for oil and gas. Andrews said the proposed mine on Denniston would generate at least 53 million tonnes of emissions, close to New Zealand's entire net emissions of 59 million tonnes. "We can't afford to keep destroying the planet," she said. Westport sergeant Georgie Were said police would be negotiating with the protesters to get them to come down. She said they were in a remote location which made communication difficult. The News tried unsuccessfully to contact Bathurst Resources Ltd for comment. During a recent panel discussion on how Buller could transition from coal, Bathurst chief executive Richard Tacon acknowledged the right to protest but said climbing into coal buckets was dangerous. The protesters could have accidentally flicked a lever, flipped the bucket and fallen to their deaths, he said. Locals took to Facebook today in support of the mine and local employment, with some suggesting starting the ropeway or enlisting the fire brigade to point a hose at the protesters to get them to come down. *This story originally appeared in the Westport News.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
More women living without shelter in Aotearoa
Lisamaree Peerdemen has just got her first home after 18 months of living under a bridge, and most of her life on the streets. Photo: RNZ / Amy Williams There is a disproportionately high rate of women without shelter in New Zealand, particularly in Auckland, people working with the homeless are warning. Auckland Council's Community Committee will meet to discuss the region's homelessness crisis tomorrow , as well as a report showing the number of homeless people rose to 809 in May this year - a 90 percent increase since last September. Lisamaree Peerdeman moved into state housing this month after living under a bridge in Auckland's city centre on-and-off most of her life. "I've just got my first home after 18 months of living under the bridge. I had my four bedroom household lot under there, set up like a house just no walls, but I could light my fire and that's what made me feel like home." Having been homeless for decades, she has noticed there are now more women sleeping rough and it concerns her. "Terrible increase in wahine and they're all old school and if they're not old school, they're young. They're beaten children, accused and abused. Their home environment behind the doors is not good." She keeps an eye out for the young women on the street and makes sure outreach teams working with the city's homeless know they are there. Peerdeman pops into Manaaki Tangata most days - it is a wellbeing space in downtown Auckland that the Māori wardens run under the stewardship of Matarora Smith. There is a washing machine and shower and the wardens provide plates of hot food - something Peerdeman said helped her budget now that she was paying rent. "I'm $120 a week now after I pay my rent, power and gas and if it wasn't for nanny Matarora and the women's yard I'd be really in trouble. Not really though, because I'm the one that will tell you which bins to go to to get your kai." The wellbeing space is among the initiatives funded by Auckland Council - a snippet of its half a million dollar annual spend on groups supporting the city's homeless. Research by the Coalition to End Women's Homelessness late last year found 46 percent of women suffering homelessness in New Zealand live in Auckland. Auckland City Missioner Helen Robinson will talk to tomorrow's committee meeting as a representative of the coalition. Auckland councillor Angela Dalton chairs the community Committee, which on Tuesday will discuss the latest numbers showing a 90 percent increase in those sleeping rough in Auckland since September last year. This followed the release of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development's latest Homelessness Insights Report , which showed some of the 14 percent of people leaving emergency housing may be homeless. "There will be an inequity in the money that is being invested at this point in time so I would like to know what is it that council can contribute to, that will make a real change or a shift for women who are struggling to find a safe place to live." Another woman who is homeless in Auckland, whom RNZ agreed not to name, said the street is no place for women. She said the car she was living in was stolen a few weeks ago and she does not feel safe sleeping rough. "I feel so sorry for the females because there is no place for the females in this, the males can look after themselves - we can't, we're vulnerable. I've been through 17 years of domestic violence and I'm still going." New to Auckland, she said there are women on the street who need help. "I've only met a few women on the street I don't know how many women there are on the street but the women I have seen on the street they seem to like it, they know what they want. It's up to them if they want the help, but I know there are women out there that need the help." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
3 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Nicola Willis criticised for cost of living ‘sermon' during post-Cabinet press conference
'Spending more, taxing and borrowing more as Labour and other parties advocate for, didn't work in the past and it won't work in the future,' Luxon said. Finance Minister Nicola Willis during the post-Cabinet Press conference at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell 'The most important thing we can do to make you better off is to double down on our economic plan,' he said. Hipkins called Willis' and Luxon's address a 'sermon' that showed the pair was out of touch with the daily reality of New Zealanders. Although the party said they were going to get 'New Zealand back on track' as per their election campaign slogan, Hipkins claimed 'across the board, New Zealanders can see the country is going backwards.' 'Yet Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis just say – 'oh, that's all part of the plan, we've got this' – they haven't got it. 'Things are getting worse for the vast majority of New Zealanders and no amount of spin from them is going to change the reality that things are getting worse for New Zealanders under their leadership. 'I think we should start calling them Fisher and Paykel because they've got more spin than a front load washing machine.' Tax relief was a major part of National's 2023 election campaign amid flaring inflation and a cost of living crisis. The party campaigned on a series of policies aimed at helping the 'squeezed middle', including adjusting tax rates, increasing tax credits and FamilyBoost. These policies came into effect in July last year. Willis said today the average household is $1,560 better off after the Government's tax relief package. 'We have also introduced FamilyBoost, which with the latest expansion gives families up to 40 per cent off their childcare costs. 'We have removed the Auckland fuel tax, introduced 12-month prescriptions, increased the rates rebate for 66,000 seniors and increased Working for Families payments.' Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon arriving for the post-Cabinet Press conference. Photo / Mark Mitchell Luxon stressed that a year and half into the term, he and his party were still fixated on improving the economy and the cost of living. Things were still tough for many families but the economy was 'expected to grow on average 2.7% per year creating 240,000 jobs over the next four years. 'In the short term we are pulling every lever we can to help Kiwi families with the cost of living.' The Government also announced the scrapping of surcharges at the till, such as when a customer uses PayWave or their mobile phone to make a payment. 'New Zealanders are paying up to $150 million in surcharges every year. That's money that could be saved or spent elsewhere.' Luxon also said the changes the Government were making to construction would help reduce costs for businesses and New Zealanders. Earlier in the day, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden announced she would review safety rules for scaffolding, saying she had received many complaints from the construction industry that current regulations were too complex and expensive. Van Velden was light on the details of what specifically would be reviewed, but said officials would consult on proposed new rules that would give people a selection of safety options depending on how dangerous the job was. 'If it's not very risky, they will not need to use expensive scaffolding. 'For example, they will be considering whether a ladder could be used instead of scaffolding for a simple roof gutter repair or minor electrical maintenance when working at height.'
