New Zealand’s parliament withdrew on Wednesday after ousting a Maori lawmaker for refusing to wear a tie, which allowed him to speak without any accessories, and labeled him a “colonial bow”. The problem spread on Tuesday when Maori party co-leader Rawiri Waititi was expelled from the parliamentary debate chamber for not wearing the required attire during question period.
Waititi, who has a “te moko” tattoo on his face and wears a black cowboy hat, argued that he was wearing a legitimate Maori business suit, a traditional pendant.
“It’s not about ties, it’s about cultural identity,” he said as he left.
TVNZ / Documentation through REUTERS
Indigenous Maori make up about 15 per cent of New Zealand’s five million population, but they are overrepresented in statistics such as poverty and imprisonment, with many guilty injustices dating back to the days of British colonial rule.
Waititi said the tie line showed the racial relations needed to improve the South Pacific nation.
“This is a violation of the rights of indigenous peoples, we must (have) the freedom to express our cultural identity in a space like this,” he said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern he said he had no objection to lawmakers not wearing ties, but added that “there are far more important issues for all of us.”
After strictly enforcing the dress code on Tuesday, parliamentary speaker Trevor Mallard took a more relaxed approach when a waititi without a tie spoke on a Wednesday.
Instead of expelling the Maori leader, Mallard simply let him ask an unobstructed question, and later said he was considering a permanent rule change.
Waititi was first elected to parliament last year and in his inaugural speech told the story of an ancestor who was unjustly hanged by the British for murder.
“I will adorn myself with the treasures of my ancestors and take off the colonial bow around my neck so I can sing my song,” he said as he took off his tie.