Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Meka Whaitiri and Rāwiri Waititi. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The leaders of Te Pāti Māori have been ejected from the House after welcoming Meka Whaitiri with a whakawātea, without permission from the other parties or the speaker.
Meka Whaitiri has also offered an explanation of her defection in which she said Te Pāti Māori allows Māori women to be heard and not censured.
Whaitiri last week announced her decision to quit Labour in order to join Te Pāti Māori for the October election.
During a motion to congratulate King Charles on his coronation, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was interrupted by the beginning of a haka.
Speaker of the House Adrian Rurawhe said afterwards he was informed by Te Pāti Māori that all parties had agreed to it, but "I was subsequently informed by a number of parties that was not the case".
Meka Whaitiri entering the debating chamber with Te Pāti Māori Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
"Given that it happened anyway, I have limited ability to address it except Rāwiri Waititi will leave the chamber and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer will leave the chamber as well."
The motion to congratulate the King continued afterwards, and Whaitiri - who quit Labour to join Te Pāti Māori - then gave a personal explanation to the House about her decision.
After beginning her explanation in te reo Māori, she said the decision was about putting whakapapa first, "to return to our people, to serve and work for our people, the calling that comes deep from within my puku".
She carried on speaking about her whānau and upbringing, but was interrupted by Rurawhe, who said a personal explanation of this sort was meant to explain "about something in the House".
"It's not a general debate ... it's not about giving a speech."
Speaker of the House Adrian Rurawhe. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
He said he had not heard the explanation, and gave Whaitiri another chance to explain exactly what she was explaining to Parliament.
"This is my opportunity to explain the decision I've made, my decision to return back to the people was based on whakapapa and the calling home and I'm very pleased to say I have joined a party that enables the voice of wahine Māori to be heard and not censured in this House.
"This House and those in this House when we talk about a 50-50 gender, I want my voice to be heard, Mr Speaker."
Meka Whaitiri speaks on her first time back in Parliament since announcing her decision to switch parties. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Rurawhe interrupted again saying that was "getting into a whole another debate".
Waititi said the waiata was a whakawātea.
"What we're doing is clearing a clear pathway for Meka to be able to sit in the opposite benches, clear everything spiritual and allow her to move there with the mind - in her own words - to be liberated and be that she needs to be for her people," he said.
"What we did was appropriate, absolutely appropriate. This House is supposed to be a place where people are liberated to say what they want to say if they're elected members and that hasn't happened today so we've been punished for doing our jobs and for ensuring that Meka had a safe transition."
The audio on the recording on Parliament TV was cut during the waiata. Waititi said they did not care if it was not broadcast.
"We don't care whether it's public or not, we've been able to fulfill our customary and cultural duties and that's exactly what we've done today."
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer speak to reporters. (file photo) Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
He said he had spoken to the leaders of the parties this morning about the plans, "and not one of them said no".
Ngarewa-Packer backed him on that.
"And clearly even though our co-leader had sought and had the courtesy of requesting 'are we allowed to apply our tikanga for today', some had gone after the fact and changed their minds.
"We didn't get that message that they had changed their minds so we still went ahead and asserted our tikanga."
However, she stopped short of criticising Rurawhe.
"I think the speaker's done everything that he should have done and could have done and it's not his fault that others changed their minds. He did clarify the absolute truth - we did go and seek permission - we got advice that they were okay.
"Obviously politics supercedes tikanga."
Waititi said Parliament had not treated wāhine Māori well in the past, listing Alamein Kopu, Tariana Turia, Nanaia Mahuta, Kiri Allan, Louisa Wall, Marama Davidson and Elizabeth Kerekere as examples.
"This place is not a safe place for our people, hence why we do things our way and make sure they're looked after."
Whaitiri had headed into the chamber with what she at that time described to reporters as a sense of freedom.
"Freedom. Freedom. Liberation, as to talk on those issues that matter to our people and unashamedly without any censoring, and I'm going to do that for the people I represent going forward."
Whaitiri with Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer (left) and Rawiri Waititi (right) Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
When asked, however, she would not directly answer if she felt she had been censored previously.
"Like I said, I'm joining a party that doesn't censor the voice of wāhine Māori ... I am joining a party that enables the voice of wāhine Māori to be heard, for our people to celebrate being Māori, unashamedly Māori.
"There's a lot of challenges as Māori MPs about compromise in this place. I've made a decision that I want to close that chapter and I want to enter a waka that's based on liberation and to speak our truth."
Labour, National respond
Upon departing the chamber, Leader of the House Grant Robertson said Waititi had not contacted him, but had contacted Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.
"And indicated that there was potential for some kind of, I believe, karakia to take place," he said. "The prime minister responded to him that was a matter for the speaker to deal with, but that's the extent of my knowledge."
He said Labour had given leave for Whaitiri to make her statement, but order in the House was a matter for the speaker.
"From time to time standing orders get suspended when there is agreement across parties to do so, that will no doubt be the reference that the Speaker made."
He said Whaitiri's personal explanation had not really provided him any new information beyond what he had seen already.
"I think it was very similar tot he comments I heard her make this morning in the media and as we've all noted it's a disappointing situation but we're very much focused on the work that we have to do as a government."
National MP Chris Bishop said Waititi had not sought permission from him, but instead informed him of what would be happening.
"I can't speak to any conversation he had with [shadow Leader of the House] Michael Woodhouse but Mr Waititi rang me this morning and said 'we're going to do a short karakia after Meka Whaitiri enters Parliament and I said 'okay'.
"So he said 'I'm just letting you know as a courtesy' and I said 'thanks very much for that' and that was the end of the conversation."
He said he believed the party was trying to draw attention to the fact of Whaitiri's decision to cross the floor.
"I think they know exactly what they're doing, they're trying to get attention for them."
He said he agreed with the characterisation of it as "grandstanding".
"I think people will draw their own conclusions about what they're trying to achieve. Meka Whaitiri is a member of Parliament, she could have just entered the debating chamber like the other 119 MPs did this afternoon.
"Of course, for Parliamentary purposes, she's not actually a Māori Party MP as we know ... she's actually an independent MP and we just had our first vote in the House with our new arrangements and she got up to try and vote as a Māori Party MP but of course she is not."