Māori Party refuse to participate in Kangaroo Court
Te Pāti Māori to hold own hearing after boycotting Privileges Committee
Te Pāti Māori says it will hold its own “alternative independent hearing”, in reaction to unfair actions by Parliament’s Privileges Committee while considering complaints about a haka and protests in Parliament.
Te Pāti Māori announced on Wednesday that the parallel hearing would be held at Parliament in May, so people could understand “what it is to be Māori and to have tikanga in this place”.
MPs Rawiri Waititi, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke did not attend their Privileges Committee hearing on Wednesday, after saying they were denied natural justice, and calling it a “kangaroo court”.
The three, along with Labour’s Peeni Henare, were referred to the committee for their involvement in a haka and protests in November, at the first reading of the contentious Treaty Principles Bill.
Meanwhile, Privileges Committee chairwoman Judith Collins said the MPs involved would get “one final chance” to “appear individually to be questioned, and to make any statements they wish to make.”
Ok.
Let’s be very, very, very clear here.
Civil conduct inside our Parliament is crucial and sacrosanct when it comes to the holy law that commands Parliament.
I’m a politics geek who fan boys out when it comes to Parliamentary protocol, and those standards DO matter.
You can not allow threats or intimidation to ever influence that most sacred of democratic spaces, and yes, Parliament’s Privileges Committee is important and as the most Powerful Court in the land must be respected.
No one is suggesting for one second that we don’t need order from our Politicians inside the Holy of Holy’s.
B-U-T
You can not pretend that the context of this Haka doesn’t immediately change all the requirements of acquiescence to resistance.
Yes Politicians must be respectful to the rules of a normal functioning Parliament, but the Treaty Principles Referendum is a political hate stunt that threatens to rip up the Treaty and force a new version upon the indigenous people of this land as interpreted by narrow Libertarian property rights!
This isn’t what a functioning Parliament looks like!
This is what a Hard Right Government led by a spineless coward who got snookered by a far smarter David Seymour into agreeing to a 6 month hate tour looks like.
Māori Tikanga is embedded into Parliament’s space as much as the archaic pakeha laws and processes.
One can not simply bend to the other, they need to agree.
That’s the spirit of the Treaty, agreement. That’s what the Privileges Committee is now facing.
They can’t force the Māori Party to the meeting, they require them to agree.
If Judith Collins holds the Privileges Committee meeting without the Māori Party and without the media present and simply announces a punishment from the Star Chamber, and the punishment is egregious, it could spark something very dangerous in backlash.
This Government have unleashed a race baiting political stunt that is deeply damaging to the country and now want to use their rules to punish a Haka in response to that race baiting political stunt?
This ain’t going to end nice.
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Parliament didn’t sign a treaty and TPM do not represent iwi. This isn’t a Crown/iwi partnership. This is the law making organ of state disciplining three misguided members. The treaty analysis is misconceived. TPM should stop its yawn inducing grandstanding.
MB – I agree with your comment – “Civil conduct inside our Parliament is crucial and sacrosanct when it comes to the holy law that commands Parliament, and with your comment about the Privileges Committee, but I see real hypocrisy by the current Government/Speaker for referring Te Pati Maori to the Privileges Committee for the wonderful haka they did in the House, a haka that showed they were prepared to stand up for themselves and all Maori against the divisive and racist Te Tiriti Principles Bill which Seymour and his party are trying to push through, but essentially ignore the racist vile comments by Winston Peters and Shane Jones directed at Ricardo Menendez March, especially Jones’s comment – “send the Mexican home.”
Ironically, Judith Collins is reported to have said in response to an apparent Te Pati Maori comment about the Privileges Committee being a “silly little committee” – “It’s never wise to denigrate Parliament and the members of Parliament who try their very best, turn up pretty much every day to do their very best and to represent their constituents and the people of New Zealand. I just don’t think it’s best to do that. I always think it’s wise to show respect to each other in this Parliament, not to be disrespectful.”
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/top/556984/te-pati-maori-to-hold-own-hearing-after-boycotting-privileges-committee
Peters and Jones were not standing up for themselves when they made their comments directed at Menendez March but Te Pati Maori were when they did their haka. Peters and Jones have not been referred to the Privileges Committee. Te Pati Maori were not disrespecting Parliament when they did their haka but they have been referred to the Privileges Committee.
Privileges Committed for Te Pati Maori but not for Peters and Jones? Just another example of the colonial system doing everything it can to stomp on Maori.
The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill was never going to pass.
Whereas, its long-standing companion, the Regulatory Standards Bill, will.
Will there be another Haka in response?
Even if you think that the neoliberal trash who make up the majority of MPs deserve decorum and civility- a very questionable idea- friend of Tim Jago types like David Seymour most certainly do not.
I would think many voters would have put of Labour if they thought they would go into coalition with this current Maori Party but interested to see if I am right.
I thought the same of National going with ACT. But they are the same vote.
I am signing off for a few weeks while I take advantage of our hospital service .You will have to put all your effort into battling Bob the first.
Happy posting to all .Friends and Foes
Good luck, our hospital system is a pale of it once was thanks to right wing governments.
Get well soon.
All the best Trevor.
Just another example of Maori ignoring rules and laws that ‘inconvenience’ them just like increasingly not paying for food at the supermarket.
Like Gerry Brownlee following the rules when barging through an airport that inconvenienced him. Just another example of pakeha privilege.
That all you got?
Something that long ago?
Just that?
Really?