The New Zealand parliament backed down on Wednesday after ousting a Maori lawmaker for refusing to wear a tie, allowing him to speak without an accessory. He called it a ‘colonial snare’. The issue flared up on Tuesday when Rawiri Waititi, co-leader of the Maori party, was expelled from the parliamentary debate room for not wearing the necessary clothing during question time.
Waititi, who has a too-moko tattoo on his face and is wearing a black cowboy hat, claimed he was wearing a legal Maori business attire – a traditional pendant.
“It’s not about ties, it’s about cultural identity,” he said as he left.
TVNZ / Handout via REUTERS
Indigenous Maoris make up about 15 per cent of New Zealand’s five million people, but are overrepresented in statistics such as poverty and imprisonment, with much debt dating back to the days of British colonial rule.
Waititi said the draw shows that race relations still need to improve in the South Pacific country.
“This is a violation of the rights of indigenous peoples, we must (should) have the freedom to express our cultural identity in a space like this,” he said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she had no objection to legislators not wearing ties, but added: “there are much more important issues for all of us.”
After the dress code was strictly enforced on Tuesday, Parliamentary Speaker Trevor Mallard took a more relaxed approach when Waititi had a pointless speech on Wednesday.
Instead of ousting the Maori leader, Mallard simply lets him ask a question unhindered and later says that a permanent rule change is being considered.
Waititi was elected to parliament for the first time last year and tells in his first speech the story of an ancestor who was wrongly hanged by the British for murder.
“I will adorn myself with the treasures of my ancestors and remove the colonial snare around my neck so that I can sing my song,” he said as he removed his tie.