Reuters
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New Zealand’s parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday after Maori members staged a haka to disrupt the vote on a controversial bill that would reinterpret a 184-year-old treaty between British and indigenous Maori.

The Treaty of Waitangi was first signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Maori chiefs and sets out how the two sides agreed to govern. The interpretation of the clauses in the document continues to guide legislation and policy today.

Court rulings and a separate Maori tribunal have gradually expanded Maori rights and privileges in recent decades. However, some argue that this has discriminated against non-indigenous citizens.

The ACT New Zealand party, a junior partner in the ruling centre-right coalition government, last week unveiled a bill to enshrine a narrower interpretation of the Waitangi Treaty into law.

As MPs met for a preliminary vote on the bill on Thursday, Te Pati’s Maori MPs stood up and began a haka, a traditional Maori dance made famous by the New Zealand rugby team.

Parliament briefly adjourned as people in the stands joined in, and the shouting drowned out others in the chamber.

ACT New Zealand leader David Seymour said people opposed to the bill want to “stir up” fear and division. “My mission is to empower every person,” he added.

However, the controversial legislation is seen by many Maori and their supporters as undermining the rights of the country’s indigenous people, who make up about 20% of the population of 5.3 million people.

Hundreds have embarked on a nine-day march, or hikoi, from New Zealand’s north to the national capital Wellington in protest against the legislation, staging rallies in towns and cities as they move south.

An estimated 10,000 people marched through Rotorua, about 450 kilometers north of Wellington, New Zealand police said in a statement on Friday. Protesters, some wearing traditional clothing, were greeted by hundreds waving the Maori flag and chanting.

The march will arrive in Wellington next Tuesday, where tens of thousands of people are expected to gather for a large gathering.

Although the bill passed its first reading, it is unlikely to gain enough support to be passed into law.

Coalition partners the National Party and New Zealand First will only support the legislation through the first of three readings as part of the coalition agreement. Both parties have said they will not support it becoming law, meaning it will almost certainly fail.

This story has been updated with additional information.