**New Zealand Parliament Issues Record Suspensions Over Māori Haka Protest**

In a landmark decision, New Zealand legislators have voted to impose unprecedented suspensions on three members of Parliament from the Māori Party for their protest performance of a Māori haka. The bans were placed on Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, who received a seven-day suspension, and party leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, who were each banned for 21 days. Previously, the longest suspension handed to a New Zealand lawmaker stood at just three days.

The protest, carried out last November, was in opposition to a now-defeated bill that the Māori Party argued would dismantle Indigenous rights. The haka, a traditional Māori dance of challenge, drew significant international attention and ignited a prolonged debate within New Zealand’s Parliament. The core of the discussion centered on whether the institution valued and welcomed Māori culture or felt intimidated by it.

In April, a parliamentary committee suggested the lengthy suspensions, not for the haka itself but for the lawmakers crossing the chamber floor towards their opponents during the performance. Maipi-Clarke contested this stance, pointing out that there have been other instances where legislators approached their opponents without facing any repercussions.

The government, holding a majority in Parliament, had the necessary votes to approve the hardest penalties, and despite extended and emotionally charged debates, a consensus on lighter penalties could not be reached. Speaker Gerry Brownlee had previously encouraged a free-ranging debate in hopes of finding common ground on the appropriate consequences, but no agreement was achieved.

Although some opposition lawmakers considered prolonging the debate with filibuster tactics, the inevitability of the outcome contributed to the decision to conclude discussions.