Parliament to debate suspending Maori politicians who performed protest haka

The three politicians performed the chanting dance of challenge to oppose a Bill that would have redefined the country’s founding document (Charlotte Graham-McLay/AP)

A New Zealand parliamentary committee has recommended the unprecedented suspensions of three Maori politicians for performing a protest haka in the debating chamber last year.

The haka is a chanting dance of challenge of great cultural importance in New Zealand, and the three politicians from Te Pati Maori, the Maori party, performed one to oppose a Bill that would have redefined the country’s founding document.