Wellington (New Zealand): Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, the youngest Member of Parliament in New Zealand, staged a dramatic protest in Parliament on Thursday. The Te Pati Maori MP expressed her opposition to the contentious Treaty Principles Bill by leading a traditional Maori haka and tearing up a copy of the bill.

The powerful protest, which was captured on video and quickly went viral, saw Maipi-Clarke perform the haka, a ceremonial Maori dance, as a way to highlight her disapproval. This act led to the suspension of the parliamentary session by Speaker Gerry Brownlee, as the public gallery joined in the demonstration.

The bill, introduced by the ACT New Zealand party, seeks to make significant changes to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. For more than 180 years, the Treaty has played a key role in shaping New Zealand’s governance and policies. Opponents argue that the proposed changes threaten to create racial tensions and disrupt the country’s constitutional framework. Meanwhile, thousands of New Zealanders have been travelling across the country this week to protest against the bill.

Despite its unpopularity, however, the proposed law passed its first vote on Thursday after dominating public discussion for months, due to a quirk of New Zealand’s political system that allows tiny parties to negotiate outsized influence for their agendas. It also reflects unease among some New Zealanders about more rapid progress in recent years toward upholding the promises made to Maori when the country was colonized.