The MP who performed a haka during voting for the Treaty Principles Bill, bringing proceedings to a halt, says there was definitely a moment of 'wait... what did we just do?'.
Video of Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke performing 'Ka Mate' at the bill's first reading, as well as her subsequent suspension from the House, has been picked up widely by international media.
The Bill has been the focus of widespread debate and criticism, and a hīkoi opposing it has traveled from the top of the North Island - and from Bluff in the far south - to arrive at Parliament in Wellington, in protest.
In an interview with The Morning Shift podcast that aired on Tuesday, Maipi-Clarke described herself as introverted "99 percent of the time".
"But I knew that one time... that was like the 500 rangatira that signed [the Treaty] came out and it wasn't really me, it was them.
"I was like... 'wait, what did we just do?' And then we walked out and me and [party co-leader Rawiri Waititi] looked at each other like '(gasps) what just happened?'."
Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipa-Clarke was among those to perform a haka, at Parliament, after the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill, on 14 November, 2024. Photo: RNZ/ Samuel Rillstone
But in the face of criticism, Maipi-Clarke says to perform the haka in Parliament was actually "best place, best timing".
"It was bound to happen and, again... it wasn't even about me. It was about those 500 ancestors who signed that Treaty and they were like, 'nah, that's enough'."
The Treaty Principles Bill architect, ACT leader David Seymour, however, believed the incident had made New Zealand look bad on the world stage.
"To the rest of the world, and the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders, it just looks ridiculous. You've got one person putting up a reasoned debate and inviting a response, and then you've got people that dance around doing a war dance, hurl personal insults, and ultimately get kicked out of Parliament. We've got to take a reality-check here, that behaviour is totally unacceptable," he said.
Photo: VNP/Louis Collins
"There's a bit of context to all this," Maipi-Clarke said on the podcast. "And it's been building up for a year.
"I was like, 'ugh, let's just rip it up, it means nothing. And they were like 'nah, nah, let's not do that'. And I was like 'honestly, the Treaty unites us and our country is known for having a beautiful partnership that most indigenous countries don't have and let's not give it [the Bill] the power.
"We had tried many different Point of Orders, we had tried to play their game, we tried the speeches, we tried taking it out, select committees - you name it.
"We were the last vote and I said, nah. Let's try and take out their vote and let's try and stop it without it passing. But really, let's try and make the world see what's going on here and actually, it's not even our fight, it's us as indigenous people, together."
Seymour said it had generated interest and support for his bill.
"It's clearly driving people to take an interest in the topic, which I regard as a really important milestone. It's a discussion New Zealand needs to have."
While Maipi-Clarke had been 'named' by the Speaker for disorderly conduct, Seymour did not rule out taking further action against Te Pāti Māori.
On Tuesday morning more than 17,000 people marched into and across central wellington as the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti headed to Parliament.
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