Three Te Pāti Māori MPs give Privileges Committee the middle finger

Three Te Pāti Māori MPs who performed a haka in Parliament are refusing to appear before the Privileges Committee, saying they will not receive a fair hearing and are victims of “systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes”.

Co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, and MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke protested with a haka during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill in November, alongside Labour’s Peeni Henare.

The Privileges Committee last week ordered Henare to apologise to the House but is yet to make a finding on the Te Pāti Māori trio.

The group said in a statement that they had been summoned to appear before the committee but were refusing because it had refused to meet a series of requests they said were needed for a fair hearing.

“This decision not only undermines basic legal practices but also perpetuates the ongoing tyranny of the majority against Māori representation,” Ngarewa-Packer said.

“Parliament continues to dismiss tikanga and justice, and this committee is no different. They have already decided our fate. This is not a fair hearing. It is s a display of power designed to silence us.”