Māori lawmakers have performed an emotive 'Haka' protest dance in opposition to a contentious race relations bill which has triggered nation-wide protests.

New Zealand’s parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday after Maori members staged a haka to disrupt the vote on a contentious bill that would reinterpret a 184-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori.

The Treaty of Waitangi, which is the focus of the proposed bill, dates back to 1840 and is considered New Zealand's founding document. The agreement was signed by Māori chiefs and the British monarchy and focused on rectifying wrongs done to the indigenous people when the country was colonized.

New Zealand's parliament witnessed a powerful protest as opposition MPs performed a haka to oppose a controversial bill. The bill aims to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi, the country's founding document with the Māori people.

Nearly ten thousand people took to the streets in New Zealand to protest the introduction of the controversial Treaty Principles Bill in Parliament. Critics said the bill, if passed, could reverse the rights and other protection mechanisms for the Indigenous Māori people.

Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke of New Zealand’s Māori party rose and began a Haka, tearing a copy of the proposed law in half.

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