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.

The haka, often associated with New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team, is much more than a pre-game ritual; it is a cornerstone of Maori culture, embodying history, identity, and emotion.

Clarke, on Thursday tore up a copy of the contentious Treaty Principles Bill and performed a traditional Maori haka during a House session.