They only got 3% of the nationwide party vote, so well short of the 17% of the population who claim some Maori ancestry — but that doesn’t matter to Te Pati Maori; they don’t believe in Democracy, rather they want a Dictatorship of Elites based on (to them) superior bloodlines. Many Maori have acerbic things to say about Te Pati Hoha (the Annoying Party) and feel that by their willful distortion of historic and current facts they do a lot more harm than good.
by Cam Slater on the BFD
Te Pati Maori had a little tantrum, hurled insults at the King, swore an oth to a half-wrecked document that the Crown was a party to, and then eventually caved and swore a proper oath. What does it all mean?
Te Pati Maori ran its own swearing in ceremony in Parliament, and three MPs appeared to insult King Charles during the official ceremony as well.
When Te Pati Maori MPs were called to pledge allegiance to the King, they each stood to first pledge allegiance to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, mokopuna and tikanga Maori, before they approached the Clerk of the House to make the legally-required affirmation.
The alternative ceremony happened in the House, while all 123 MPs were sworn in. The Maori Party alternative process even involved signing a document, on the desk of co-leader Rawiri Waititi.
But Stuff noticed that three Te Pati Maori MPs, co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Waititi and Te Tai Tonga MP Takuta Ferris, did not stick to the script.
Instead of pledging allegiance to ‘King Charles III’, or in te reo ‘Kingi Tiare te Tuatoru’, the two MPs referred to Kingi Harehare te Tuatoru.In te reo Maori, harehare can be an insult which refers to a rash. In this phrase, it could be translated as an insult, meaning the rash king, or the objectionable King.
The oaths from Waititi, Ngarewa-Packer and Ferris read:
E ki ana i runga i te pono, i te tika, i te ngakau tapatahi me te whakau ano ka noho pirihonga, ka noho pumau ki Kingi harehare te tuatoru, me ona kahui whakaheke e ai ke te ture.
They were meant to say:
E ki ana i runga i te pono, i te tika, i te ngakau tapatahi me te whakau ano ka noho pirihonga, ka noho pumau ki a Kingi Tiare te Tuatoru me tona kahui whakaheke e ai ke te ture.
It did not appear that Clerk of the House David Wilson picked up on the amended oaths. It’s also unclear if the oaths from Ferris and Waititi will be accepted or if they will be asked to redo the process.
Waititi and Ferris insisted they had not insulted the King.
Ferris told Stuff that “Hare” was “East Coast for Charles”. “Emphatic for Charles,” he said.
But Ferris is from Te Waipounamu, which also happens to be where I’m from. And in Te Tau Ihu, Hare has a very different meaning… it means scab. —Stuff
Rude, insulting, disrespectful…and all on just 3.08% of the vote. They are a disgrace and their grandstanding, protests, and alternate swearing ceremonies all amount to nothing.
It has to be a fake photo either that or they are part of a circus somewhere.
The photo is real — so yes the second.
Interesting to know what the laws are for carrying a weapon in the houses of parliament. What would be the response if somebody casually walked in and started waving an AK-47 around?
The European equivalent would be a machete — and they wouldn’t be allowed it.
Totally agree, and the same applies on any rugby or league field. Time this barbaric tongue chest beating chant is put to rest on public display.