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Te pāti Maori-Lideres Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer hold a press conference after refusing to attend a privilege committee’s audience in Parliament.
Photo: RNZ / REECE PADIER
Te pāti Maori says he will maintain his own “alternative independent hearing”, in reaction to unfair actions by the Parliament’s privilege committee, considering complaints about a Haka and protests in Parliament.
Te Pāti Maori announced on Wednesday that the parallel audience would be held in Parliament in May so that people could understand “what it is to be Maori and have Tikanga in this place.”
MPS Rawiri Waititi, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Hana-Rawhiti Maip-Clarke did not attend the privilege committee on Wednesday after saying that natural justice were denied and called “Kangaroo Court.”
The three, together with Labar’s Peeni Henare, were sent to the committee for their involvement in a Haka and protests in November, in the first reading of the Treaty’s Controversial Principles Bill.
Meanwhile, the president of the privilege committee, Judith Collins, said that the parliamentarians involved would have “a final chance” of “looking individually to be questioned and make statements they wish to do.”
They claim that their request for a joint hearing was denied and the committee prevented the lawyer from making essential sending about Tikanga. They also claim that the committee is refusing to hear from a Tikanga expert and establish a date of audience without accommodating parliamentarians’ schedules or their senior consultant choice.
Te Pāti Maori, Co-Lider Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer, held a media conference while the privilege committee was deliberating, reiterating its main concerns.
Ngarewa-Packer said that if they did not “appear today”, people would like to know why and decided to hold an “alternative hearing” on May 7 in Parliament.
“We decided that being responsible is really important and we want people to understand what it is to be Maori and have Tikanga in this place.”
Waititi added that they did not know what would be the result of the committee meeting, but said “we did not regret” and that they would “do it again in the blink of an eye, because that’s who we are.”
“Since this house deliberates and, as the media deliberates on what we are, it would be easy to bow to the system and do what they say and discard the very essence of who we are.”
Members of Te Pāti Maori make a Haka in front of the Act Party members in Parliament during the first reading of the Treated Principles Bill on November 14 last year.
Photo: VNP/LOUIS Collins
But Waititi said that everyone made “promises to ourselves” of “defending us, especially in view of what seems to be an endless tsunami of hatred.”
He said this was larger than a “silly committee of small privileges and their small silly rules.”
“This is about us defending the tyranny of the majority and the dispute between the dominant culture with which Iwi Maori has to face.”
Photo: RNZ / REECE PADIER
Ngarewa-Packer said he could not get an audience that “would be fair” and “would approach Kaupapa Real, which is Tikanga Maori.”
“We would love to explain what it is when we are doing our Haka, but the reality is that the committee didn’t want to allow it.”
The privilege committee issued a statement after its meeting, saying that it now needed to consider how to “progress the issue of privilege” in the light of deputies “not attending the hearings scheduled for today.”
“We are aware of the seriousness of the subject and we decided to offer a final alternative date for evidence audiences to occur.”
That would be Wednesday, April 23, at 10am.
Each member was expected to appear at the evidence hearing, or to provide written evidence on that date “instead of their participation.”
“We hope that the members involved will be involved with the consideration of the privilege question committee, like all the others who were referred to this committee.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, President Judith Collins said it was “fair enough” to offer members “another opportunity” and that it will be “the final offer.”
Collins said the committee “never saw anything like that.”
When asked about the alternative audience, Collins said it was “an interesting concept.”
In response to the “Small Bobo Committee” comment, Collins said: “It is never advisable to denigrate Parliament, and the members of Parliament who try their best, they appear practically every day to do their best and represent their constituents and the people of New Zealand. I just don’t think it’s the best to do this.
“I always find it advisable to show respect to each other in this parliament, not to be disrespectful.”
Collins said he did not understand Waititi’s argument that Parliament did not respect te pāti maori. When asked if the respect was shown to Tikanga in Parliament, Collins said there was respect to be shown to “the rules of parliament.”
Collins said the committee would make a determination after the fact if parliamentarians did not appear in the next scheduled hearing.
“We don’t want to have anyone under any illusion as to how serious it is.”
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