Feb 11, 2021 - World
New Zealand Parliament drops tie rule after Māori lawmaker ejected
Māori Party Co-leader Rawiri Waititi in New Zealand's Parliament in Wellington after being told to leave on Tuesday, wearing a traditional taonga pendanti. Photo: Lynn Grieveso/Newsroom via Getty Images
A long-held New Zealand requirement for male Members of Parliament to wear ties has been changed after an indigenous leader was ejected from the chamber for refusing to wear one.
Why it matters: Māori Party Co-leader Rawiri Waititi said after Tuesday's incident that wearing a tie, which he likened to a "colonial noose," breached indigenous people's rights. Parliament Speaker Trevor Mallard said Wednesday most of the standing orders committee voted to remove the rule.