New Zealand got its first look at its new Parliament today after the election, as MPs were sworn in to their roles.
Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi was among MPs in the House today.
Prior to swearing the standard allegiances in his oath at Parliament, Waititi performed a haka in relation to the oath raising Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Waititi has been calling for it to be included over the last few days. The current oath requires MPs to swear their allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Rawiri Waititi said it was essential "Tiriti o Waitangi is at the forefront of everything we do".
He said pledging allegiance to Tiriti o Waitangi and ngā hapū o Aotearoa prior to making the oath was getting out "what I needed to get out first".
"That is to ensure Tiriti o Waitangi is at the forefront of everything we do and the way we will conduct our business in this House."
He said he was not against the Queen and that if the oath also included Tiriti o Waitangi and ngā hapū o Aotearoa, "we would have no problem".
"But it's very unfair at this particular time to be swearing an oath to one partner of that Tiriti."
"We're going to do things different, we've started to do things different and we will continue to do things different."
Māori Party said it would be putting a Member's Bill forward, a proposed law that only goes through Parliament if pulled from the ballot, that includes the Tiriti o Waitangi in the oath.
"We don't mind having Queen Elizabeth in there but there's no equality, no mention of the Treaty. And that's what the country was founded on, through consent," Waititi told AAP last week .
"It silences our true oath, which is to our people."
Rawiri Waititi says the oath must make reference to not just the Queen, but to Te Tiriti too.
The MPs today were sworn in at the Commission opening of Parliament this morning, taking either an Oath of Allegiance or an affirmation, many making their oath in te reo.
Labour's Phil Twyford, who has pre-arranged leave, was the only MP absent.
Party leaders then congratulated Trevor Mallard on being re-elected as Speaker.
Tomorrow, maiden speeches of new MPs will begin at the state opening of Parliament.
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