A picture paints a thousand words and the photograph above is a snapshot of the most disgraceful reading of a Bill I can recall in New Zealand's history.
The Treaty Principles Bill is not the first controversial and polarising Bill to have been introduced to New Zealand's Parliament. We have debated abortion, same-sex marriage, and the foreshore and seabed. Inevitably emotions have run high and sharp words have been exchanged, but the behaviour displayed yesterday fell far below the standards we expect of elected officials.
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke instigated a haka as the vote was being tallied at the end of the speeches. She tore the Bill in half and took to the floor along with her party colleagues. She and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer performed the haka right up to where David Seymour and ACT sat. Their actions were intimidating and aggressive, and that was the intention.
Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee was left with no option but to suspend the House and empty the gallery which was full of Te Pāti Māori supporters who were also taking part in the haka. It was complete disorder.
Once everyone returned to the House - except Willie Jackson because he had been kicked out earlier for calling David Seymour a liar - Parliament voted to suspend Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke for 24 hours. The Government majority outvoted the opposition parties who all voted against the punishment.
Now, a 24-hour suspension might seem like a pointless and meagre consequence, but the act of the Speaker 'naming' an MP as Speaker Brownlee did is very significant. Maipi-Clarke will have one day of pay docked also.
However, the young MP should not have been the only MP to face consequences. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi was disorderly in his own speech and concluded it by shouting the colloquialism "see you next Tuesday" at David Seymour. He will, of course, say that he was referring to the protest next Tuesday, but it is relatively well-known that it also refers to a certain four letter word.
Likewise, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer's intimidation of David Seymour was not unlike that of Julie Anne Genter toward Matt Doocey some months ago, and that resulted in a referral to the Privileges Committee. There is no excuse for aggression and intimidation in our House of Parliament no matter if it is cloaked in claims of cultural practice.
We can all stand around pointing and saying "how disgraceful," but there is action we must take on a few different matters.
1. I encourage you to send an email to the Speaker urging him to crack down on disorderly conduct and slipping standards. His email is: speakers.office@parliament.govt.nz
2. You might also like to send an email to the Government party leaders asking them to make an appeal to the Speaker for stricter policing of rules and standing orders. christopher.luxon@parliament.govt.nz david.seymour@parliament.govt.nz and winston.peters@parliament.govt.nz
3. Write to the media about the matter: a letter to the editor, or an email to decision makers about how they are reporting on the issue.
3. Get ready for the first phase of our response to the Treaty Principles Bill which will come next week. This phase is about putting pressure on the Prime Minister to respect New Zealanders and listen to our submissions.
4. Pop over to David Seymour's Facebook, Instagram, or X and give him a few words of encouragement. What he is doing takes a great deal of courage and we should make sure he knows he has the backing of many New Zealanders.
5. Chip in to our fund to make sure we keep the attention on support for the bill throughout the 6-month Treaty Principles Bill consultation period. Donate here.
I am worried. We are at a crossroads and I fear it could go either way. Our leaders need us to strengthen their spines because they are vulnerable to the intimidation, manipulation, and coercion of the media and activists - some more vulnerable than others.
The media are firmly supportive of the activism of Te Pāti Māori and their hīkoi. In fact, one of TVNZ's most senior executives, Nevak Rogers, has taken annual leave this week to attend the hīkoi. Her social media posts and activism are directly oppositional to TVNZ's laughable claims of impartiality. How can we be expected to have faith in TVNZ's balance when their Chief Content Officer is behaving in such a partisan manner?
The time has come for New Zealanders to loudly express our honest opinions. This doesn't come naturally for many of us. We are generally a non-confrontational and laidback people, but too much is at stake. We need to openly state support for the Treaty Principles Bill and David Seymour's agenda for equality and clarity. Share your views with friends and family. Post on social media. Be bold.
If we do not emphatically stand up for democracy and what is right now, we will lose the ability to do so at all. New Zealand needs you.
Remember "the standard you walk past is the standard you accept."
Don Brash writing as Hobson's Pledge trustee