The image of Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, a New Zealand MP performing a haka in the middle of a parliamentary session on November 14, went around the world. This traditional choreography was carried out in protest against a proposed law which reinterprets the founding text of the New Zealand nation to the detriment of the Maori people. Even though it has almost no chance of being voted on, this proposal has sparked historic protests in the country. The source of this anger dates back to February 6, 1840, the date of the signing, by the British and 540 Maori chiefs, of the Treaty of Waitangi, which made New Zealand a British colony. It also guarantees equality between all the Queen’s subjects, settlers and Maoris. It is a fairly short text, comprising only three articles, written at the time in English and Maori. But it is also a very ambiguous text. It is all the more subject to interpretation as the English and Maori versions are not identical. In this video, we look back at the creation of this nation, at the balance guaranteed by this text, and we explain what the proposed law from the country’s Minister of Regulation, David Seymour, which provoked these demonstrations, would change. To find out more about the protests of recent days, we invite you to read the article below. Read also | In Wellington, New Zealand, thousands of demonstrators for Maori rights Read later “Understand in three minutes” The explanatory videos that make up the “Understand in three minutes” series are produced by the Vertical Videos service of Le Monde. Broadcast primarily on platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, they aim to put major events into context in a short format and make the news accessible to everyone. Marion Huysman and Mélody Da Fonseca (motion design) Reuse this content
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Why was a haka seen in the New Zealand Parliament? Understand in three minutes
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