Ties are being dropped as a requirement from Parliament's Debating Chamber, the House Speaker has announced tonight.
It comes after a meeting of the Standing Orders committee was held today to discuss the issue and hear a submission from Te Paati Māori, House Speaker Trevor Mallard said in a statement.
"The committee did not reach a consensus but the majority of the committee was in favour of removing the requirement for ties to form part of ‘appropriate business attire’ for males," he said.
"As Speaker, I am guided by the committee’s discussion, and therefore ties will no longer be considered required as part of 'appropriate business attire.'"
Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi was booted from the Chamber yesterday over his continual refusal to wear a tie.
In December, Waititi was told he would not be allowed to speak in Parliament again until he wore a tie, something he referred to as a "colonial noose".
Waititi was allowed to speak in the Chamber today following a temporary truce with Mallard.
"It seems like we've got a progressive Parliament that looks at cultural freedoms to allow them, their cultural identity to be expressed in this particular space," Waititi said earlier today.
A meeting tonight will discuss whether the rules need to change after yesterday’s clash between Rawiri Waititi and Speaker Trevor Mallard.
It follows Mallard's announcement last Monday that jackets and ties would remain a staple for male MPs in the Chamber following a review in November.
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