Lawmakers stage Māori protest in New Zealand’s parliament during fraught race relations debate

Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A vote in New Zealand’s parliament was suspended and two lawmakers ejected Thursday amid debate over a controversial proposed law redefining the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown. The proposal has scant support and is unlikely to become law but passed its first vote on Thursday. Detractors say it threatens racial discord and constitutional upheaval. Under the principles laid out in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which guide the relationship between the government and Māori, tribes were promised broad rights to retain their lands and protect their interests in return for ceding governance to the British. The bill would specify that those rights should apply to all New Zealanders.