New Zealand politicians broke out into song on Thursday after voting down a right-wing-backed proposal that opponents feared would erode indigenous rights. The bill, which sought to redefine the terms of the Treaty of Waitangi signed between British colonizers and Māori leaders in 1840s, was met with widespread opposition from Māori communities and their supporters.
The bill’s proposed changes were seen as a threat to Māori land and customary rights, with opponents arguing that the courts had already settled the principles of the treaty. The ACT Party, which backed the bill, argued that the current law had led to unequal treatment between Māori and non-Māori in New Zealand.
However, in a surprise move, politicians from both sides of the house sang a traditional Māori song, or Waiata, in celebration of the bill’s defeat. The opposition leader Hana-Rāwihti Maipi-Clarke said that while the bill had not been “stopped,” it had been “annihilated.”
The prime minister was absent from parliament on Thursday, drawing criticism from those behind the public campaign against the bill. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ruling National Party had agreed to support the bill in return for a coalition deal with other parties.
Despite the opposition, ACT Party leader David Seymour vowed to continue his efforts to change the law. The defeat of the bill marked a significant victory for Māori rights activists and their supporters, who had mobilized tens of thousands of people to take to the streets in protest against the bill.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/10/world/new-zealand-bill-defeated-maori-rights-intl-hnk/index.html