Activists are protesting proposed changes to New Zealand's foundational document, the Treaty of Waitangi. But is the bill more bark than bite?

New Zealand’s parliament descended into chaos as Maori members staged a haka in protest against a bill that would “reinterpret” the country’s founding treaty.

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.

Nearly ten thousand people took to the streets in New Zealand to protest the introduction of the controversial Treaty Principles Bill in Parliament. Critics said the bill, if passed, could reverse the rights and other protection mechanisms for the Indigenous Māori people.

Parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday after Māori MPs performed a haka to disrupt a vote on a controversial bill that has ignited protests across New Zealand. The bill proposes to change the way in which the Treaty of Waitangi - a 184-year-old treaty between the British Crown and Māori people - is interpreted.