'Colonial noose' — Māori Party's Rawiri Waititi takes stand against Parliament tie rules

Rawiri Waititi said it was essential "Tiriti o Waitangi is at the forefront of everything we do".

Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi has been told he will not be allowed to speak in Parliament again until he wears a tie, something he calls a "colonial noose". 

Despite the ultimatum, Waititi says he will continue his stand against ties. 

Last Thursday, Waititi promised the Māori Party's "unapologetic Māori voice will be heard and that our Māori cloak is felt and is present in every piece of legislation and bill passed in this House". 

At the end of the speech, he spoke of his tipuna who was wrongly convicted and put to death for Anglican Priest Reverend Völkner in Ōpōtiki in 1865. 

Rawiri said in the House his tipina Mokomoko last words in te reo were, "Take the noose from around my neck so that I may sing my song."

Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer made their opening speeches in Parliament.

As he recounted such, Waititi took off his tie in Parliament. 

"Therefore, I will adorn myself with the treasures of my ancestors and remove the colonial noose around my neck so that I may sing my song," he said at the time. 

Today, Waititi delivered his speech after the release of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the March 15 terrorist attack. 

After he finished the speech, Speaker Trevor Mallard told Waititi that he would "indicate to him that the requirements for business attire will be applied to him before he is called to speak in this House again".

Rawiri Waititi said it was essential "Tiriti o Waitangi is at the forefront of everything we do".

Men must wear ties in the House. Mallard said last month he would look at the rules around wearing business attire in the House after being asked by Green co-leader James Shaw to get rid of the tie requirement. 

Waititi intends to continue the stand around not wearing ties, and will be supporting Shaw's call to change the rules and get rid of the requirement. Tomorrow is the last day Parliament will sit until next year. 

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