Anger after Assistant Speaker Maureen Pugh interrupts Whakatōhea rangatira during mihi

• Assistant Speaker Maureen Pugh is facing criticism for interrupting Te Kahautu Maxwell’s whaikōrero in Parliament.
• Multiple MPs, including Rawiri Waititi and Steve Abel, demand apology for perceived disrespect to tikanga.
• Despite controversy, Te Whakatōhea remains positive about Treaty settlement achievement.

Assistant Speaker Maureen Pugh is facing calls to apologise after interrupting a whaikōrero in Parliament after the Whakatōhea Treaty settlement passed its final reading.

Pugh had called for the waiata by those gathered in the public gallery to mark the occasion and rangatira Te Kahautu Maxwell began a brief whaikōrero ahead of it.

Pugh repeatedly called for order and tried to interrupt it, saying the waiata should be performed. As the waiata took place, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said across the House to the Assistant Speaker, “that was not good ... shocking”.

Outside the House, Maxwell said what happened was a “misunderstanding of tikanga”. He said he wasn’t surprised, however “we Whakatōhea, we’ve faced much larger challenges than that” and that it didn’t take away from the settlement’s third reading.

“The main thing is that Whakatōhea is settled and all I wanted to do on behalf of the tribe was to acknowledge the kind words that were conveyed and to thank each Member of Parliament for their support and assisting Whakatōhea to get to where we landed to after 159 years since the confiscation of our land.”

MPs across the House spoke on the settlement, including New Zealand First’s Shane Jones, who spoke of how past histories can be “brightened” by today’s reading and Green MP Steve Abel, who described reading an account of Whakatōhea’s land loss as making “one sick to the heart”.

Waititi, who is of Te Whakatōhea descent, gave a karakia that Labour MP Willie Jackson described as “absolutely exceptional”.

Maxwell said despite the situation, his people were “still happy” and were “very thankful for where we are today”.

“This won’t put a dampener on what we have achieved on behalf of our ancestors and on behalf of the unborn child. It’s only upwards, higher and brighter for Whakatōhea.”

Asked whether the matter was ended in his view, he said: “of course”.

Multiple MPs raised a point of order asking for an apology from the Assistant Speaker including Waititi, Abel, Jackson and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. As this went on, Whakatōhea and members of the public gallery stood standing and watching.

National’s Chris Bishop also raised a point of order, saying he did not think it was the Assistant Speaker’s intention to cause offence.

When Pugh did not apologise and Speaker Gerry Brownlee backed her move to call for order, members of the public gallery said “shame” and “it’s not okay” as they left.

“My job is to protect the tikanga of this Parliament,” Brownlee said.

“It is the Parliament of all people in New Zealand and there is no intention to offend anybody in the upholding of its own tikanga and tikanga does not allow for speeches from the gallery, it never has.”

As she was leaving the House, Ngarewa-Packer said to the Assistant Speaker “you are wrong” and that it was no wonder “our people are coming here on Thursday”, in reference to a planned series of nationwide protests.

Outside the House, Waititi said what happened was shameful and the Assistant Speaker should be reprimanded.

“Whakatōhea have waited nearly 30 years to get this over the line. Confiscation happened over 100 years ago, this House could have shown some respect and some patience for Whakatōhea to be able to leave this building with integrity and its mana intact.”

Waititi said Pugh was incompetent because she “had no cultural backing, no cultural training”.

“We allow for karanga before waiata. Karanga and whaikōrero go hand-in-hand so if you allow for karanga you should allow for whaikōrero, and allow for the waiata.”

Ngarewa-Packer said the Assistant Speaker should have apologised to Maxwell.

“Whakatōhea had come here to settle Te Tiriti, they had come here under the invite ... of the Crown ... letting them go without an apology is wrong.”

Green MP Steve Abel told the Herald he raised a point of order because the move to quieten Maxwell was “completely unnecessary” and a “total misunderstanding of tikanga”.