Maori lawmakers vehemently oppose the bill, viewing it as a direct threat to the hard-won rights of their community. By performing the haka in Parliament, they expressed their dis

Members of New Zealand's parliament have rallied the international community in support of the island country's indigenous groups, as contentious legislation moves forward that could threaten Maori support systems.

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.