On October 9, the New Zealand House of Representatives was temporarily suspended. The incident occurred after a group of people sitting in the public gallery spontaneously performed a traditional Māori war dance following the first speech by newly elected Māori Party female MP, Orinui Kepa.
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Kepa entered the House of Representatives through a by-election in September. After her speech, MPs from all parties and members in the public gallery followed a pre-arranged and approved procedure to sing a Māori song to congratulate her. However, some individuals in the public gallery suddenly began performing the war dance, which was joined by Kepa and several other MPs. After failing to stop it, the Speaker of the House, Trevor Mallard, declared a suspension of the session.
According to information, the New Zealand House of Representatives regulations stipulate that any party or MP wishing to sing songs or perform war dances themselves or with supporters in the public gallery must apply for prior approval.
After the session resumed, Speaker Mallard stated that he would investigate whether any party or MP had prior knowledge of the war dance performance, and criticized the behavior of the public gallery as "extremely disrespectful."
Previously, three Māori Party MPs had been given a record-breaking suspension for performing the war dance in the House of Representatives last year, disrupting the voting on a controversial bill.
The Māori war dance "Haka" is traditionally used by the Māori people as a ceremonial dance to welcome visiting tribes or to boost the morale of warriors before going to war. Today, it has become a classic cultural symbol performed at important occasions and before matches by the New Zealand rugby team.
Sources | @CCTV International News
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