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| ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar |
The ACT Party floating the idea of imprisoning Te Pāti Māori MPs for performing a haka in Parliament isn’t just a shameful overreach; it’s a chilling glimpse into a fascist mindset that seeks to silence indigenous voices through state power. According to RNZ, ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar asked the Privileges Committee to consider a range of punishments, including jail time, for Te Pāti Māori MPs who performed a haka to protest the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. This isn’t just about parliamentary decorum; it’s a calculated move to treat Māori cultural expression and resistance as a crime. It’s the kind of authoritarian tactic you’d expect from repressive regimes, not a supposedly democratic country like New Zealand.
Today, RNZ reported:
ACT asked for advice on range of punishments for Te Pāti Māori MPs - including imprisonment
The ACT party asked for advice on the full range of possible punishments for Te Pāti Māori MPs following last year's Treaty Principles haka - including imprisonment.
The government members on the Privileges Committee recommended suspending Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer for 21 days as punishment for their part in a haka at the conclusion of the First Reading of the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill.
MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who started the haka but had since expressed contrition, faces a one-week suspension.
The Committee found the MPs had behaved in an intimidating manner when they moved from their seats to face Act Party MPs.
The Privileges Committee sought advice on possible penalties while preparing its recommendations. ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar, who is on the committee, asked if this could include a range of examples, including imprisonment, to "help put any proposed penalty in context".
Let’s call this what it is: racism dressed up as procedure. The haka, a powerful expression of Māori identity, was deemed “intimidating” by the Privileges Committee, a claim that reeks of thin skins and colonial overreach. The main problem here is that ACT’s suggestion to imprison Māori for doing a haka isn’t an isolated incident. This is the same party that’s pushed a relentless anti-Māori agenda since their very foundation, from ACT’s Rodney Hide openly stating that they hate Māori, to Jamie Whyte's claim that Māori are somehow legally privileged in New Zealand, and now David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, which seeks to gut the Treaty of Waitangi’s protections, to their dog-whistle rhetoric branding Māori cultural practices as “thuggery”, ACT have displayed their blatant racism for all to see. They even published material calling Te Pāti Māori MPs “barnyard animals” for doing a haka, in what can only be described as a vulgar display of ignorant racism that should ensure they never attain power again. This isn’t just policy disagreement; it’s a deliberate campaign by the coalition of chaos to marginalise and dehumanise Māori.
Look globally, and ACT’s tactics echo the playbook of repressive regimes that target indigenous populations to maintain control. In Australia, Aboriginal people face disproportionate incarceration rates, over 30% of the prison population despite being 3% of the total population, often for minor or culturally misunderstood acts. In Canada, Indigenous peoples make up nearly 30% of federal inmates, despite being 5% of the population, a legacy of colonial policies designed to suppress First Nations’ resistance. These parallels aren’t accidental. Imprisoning indigenous leaders or cultural figures is a hallmark of repressive regimes that fear the power of native identity. From apartheid South Africa to Pinochet’s Chile, fascist regimes always attempt to crush indigenous dissent under the guise of “order.”
NZ Maori use Haka for all major events in life: birth, death, marriage. It's their tradition. Here is NZ's Rugby team doing Haka before their game.pic.twitter.com/VWvKqWTyNg
— Epoch Inspired (@EpochInspired) January 7, 2024
ACT advocating for Māori MPs to be imprisoned for a haka isn’t just an attack on Te Pāti Māori; it’s an assault on the very idea of Māori identity and cultural survival. The Privileges Committee’s recommended 21 day suspensions without pay are already unprecedentedly harsh. Suggesting imprisonment takes it to a new dystopian level, signalling to Māori that their voice, their tikanga, their resistance will be met with the full weight of state punishment. This is fascism in a suit: targeting those who dare to stand up against an unjust government that is trying to control its population through punishment and fear.
The ACT Party’s calls for authoritarianism should have no place within our halls of power. So where is the Prime Minister’s condemnation of his coalition partner’s racist overreach? Chris Luxon’s silence about ACT's proposed jail time for Māori MPs is another tacit nod in favour of the all too regular anti-Māori sentiment we see poisoning our democracy. But instead of acknowledging this problem, government MPs and their mainstream media propagandists are trying to make us believe that their actions and lies weren’t racially motivated. Not only have they insulted Māoridom, they are now insulting the entire countries intelligence as well.
New Zealand deserves better than a government that flirts with authoritarianism while cloaking it in “rule of law” rhetoric. They deserve a government that stands up for the haka and all that it signifies. The haka isn’t a threat to New Zealand; it’s a highly significant taonga, a treasure of Māori culture that every New Zealander should feel proud of. ACT’s push to criminalise it exposes their rancid racist underbelly...and that’s not something any right thinking Kiwi should vote for.
