Maori Protest in New Zealand Parliament – RST Radio

Draw is now optional

Wellington (Associated Press) – A member of the Maori party in New Zealand refused to comply with the tie clause in Parliament – thus not only bringing about a change to the existing rules, but also sparking a debate on social networks.

Roeri Waititi appeared Tuesday without a tie because the dress code was colonial, as the politician with the traditional tattoo of the face wrote on Facebook: “I took off the colonial tie, as a sign that it continues colonialism and the suppression of Maori rights.” . “

Instead, he showed himself with Hei-Tiki, the typical carved Maori ornament worn around the neck. Parliament Speaker Trevor Mallard fired him for losing the tie from the room. “It’s ridiculous to ask me to leave Parliament because I want to wear a heti-tiki costume as a business cultural outfit,” Waititi wrote on Twitter. “Hei-Tiki is an optional bond, it connects me with my ancestors, my country and my people.”

He was back on Wednesday, again with a Maori necklace. This time Mallard let him go and said that a committee would look into it that evening. This finally spoke in favor of permitting work clothes from cultures other than British tradition. Mallard said the decision was not unanimous, but that it was taken by a majority. Since then, a heated discussion on this topic has erupted in social networks under the hashtag # no2tie.

After Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won elections last fall, New Zealand’s parliament is more diverse than ever. Maori Foreign Minister Nanaya Mahuta. Ardern showed himself wearing a Maori feather coat kahu huruhuru – to dinner at Buckingham Palace in London in 2018.

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