Te Ao Māori News has obtained a copy of a letter written by Act MP Todd Stephenson to Speaker Gerry Brownlee complaining about the MPs who took part in the haka that went viral worldwide last week.
He raised a question of privilege, under standing order 410.
“It appears that [REDACTED] undertook actions, outlined above, which raise a question of privilege and/or a contempt of the House under Standing Order 417(1). This includes actions which have a tendency to impede a member conducting their business.
“While not limiting what might be considered a breach of privilege or contempt, I note the following under Standing Order 418:
- breach of one of the privileges of the House;
- assaulting, threatening, or intimidating a member or an officer of the House acting in the discharge of the member’s or the officer’s duty;
- obstructing or molesting a member or an officer of the House in the discharge of the member’s or the officer’s duty; and
- misconducting oneself in the presence of the House or a committee.”
Te Ao Māori News understands every MP who took part in the haka, which was led by Te Pati Māori MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi Clarke, has received a copy of an individual complaint against them sent to the Speaker.
Stephenson’s letter asks that the incident and those involved be referred to the Privilege Committee.
Within the letter to Brownlee, the Act MP rdescribed what happened last week in the House of Representatives.
He said the Te Pāti Māori co-leaders, Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, alongside Maipi Clarke, were “shouting and making aggressive gestures” to Act MPs.
“[They] got extremely close to the members of Parliament seated on the front bench. At times Ms Ngarewa-Packer was over the top of the members’ desks.
“At one point Ms Ngarewa-Packer made a gun gesture and pointed it towards Members and said ‘kino’.
“The haka is commonly known as a war dance and is designed to intimidate,” Stephenson wrote.
The Act whip also claimed other MPs were “confronted in a threatening and intimating manner while the proceedings of the House were underway”.
“It is also clear that the House and the Mmembers present were not able to continue to conduct their business or discharge their duties.”
The following names were listed as those who took part in the haka according to Stephenson: Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, Peeni Henare, Kahurangi Carter, Benjamin Doyle, Shanan Halbert, Huhana Lyndon, Willow-Jean Prime, Mariameno Kapi-Kingi and Teanau Tuiono.
He also listed the MPs who stood up in support of the haka: Steve Abel, Ginny Anderson, Camilla Belich, Glen Bennec, Reuben Davidson, Julie Anne Genter, Ingrid Leary, Ricardo Menéndez March, Tracey McLellan, Tamatha Paul, Lan Pham, Deborah Russell, Carmel Sepuloni, Chloe Swarbrick, Cusha Tangaere-Manuel, Jan Tinee, Tangi Utikere, Helen White, Arena Williams and Scott Willis.
According to Stephenson, other members of the House found the actions of those who took part “intimidating, inappropriate, and caused discomfort and concern”.
“The scale, coordination and total disregard for parliamentary procedure is unprecedented.”
