New Zealand MP performs traditional dance in Parliament, rips up copy of contentious bill
Wellington: New Zealand’s youngest Member of Parliament Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke has once again grabbed the headlines after a video of her staging the traditional Maori dance and ripping up a copy of a contentious bill during a House session went viral on social media.
A viral footage of the vote on the Treaty Principles Bill shows the 22-year-old Te Pati Maori MP interrupting the session by tearing apart a copy of the controversial bill before performing a haka. She is then joined by the people in the public gallery, prompting Speaker Gerry Brownlee to briefly suspend the House.
The ACT New Zealand party, a junior partner in the centre-right coalition government unveiled the Treaty Principles Bill last week. It proposes changes to some principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. The bill has sparked strong opposition from many Maori groups.
The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Maori chiefs, established the framework for governance between the two parties. It remains a foundational document in New Zealand, with its clauses continuing to influence legislation and policy to this day.
The bill is being seen as undermining the rights of the country’s indigenous people by many Maori and their supporters. Notably, Maoris make up around 20% of New Zealand’s 5.3 million population.
As the proposed bill passed its first reading, hundreds of demonstrators embarked on a nine-day march, or hikoi, from New Zealand's north to the national capital of Wellington to voice their opposition.
New Zealand’s youngest MP Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke made it to the headlines once again as she tore apart the copy of the Treaty Principles Bill and performed the traditional group dance Haka in the Parliament. This video is now going viral across the world. #HakaDance… pic.twitter.com/PU5XBA9CQu
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Karnataka: Two killed as unknown vehicle hits people standing on roadside
Chitradurga (Karnataka) (PTI): Two persons were killed and an equal number of them were seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident near Pattarehalli village in Chitradurga district, police said on Sunday.
The accident occurred on late Saturday.
An unidentified vehicle crashed into four persons who were standing by the roadside after their car broke down.
"Four persons had stopped their vehicle due to a breakdown and were repairing when an unidentified vehicle crashed into them," a police officer said.
According to police, two persons died on the spot, while the other two sustained grievous injuries and were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
"The driver fled the scene along with the vehicle immediately after the accident," the officer added.
A case has been registered at the Hiriyur Rural Police Station and efforts are on to trace the vehicle and its driver.
