Rawiri Waititi calls necktie a 'colonial noose'
The Maori MP who was ejected Tuesday from New Zealand's parliament for not wearing a necktie has been successful in throwing out the dress-code requirement to wear what he calls "a colonial noose."
Rawiri Waititi, co-leader of the Maori Party, confronted the issue on what was the first day parliament sat in 2021, making several attempts to address the chamber before house speaker Trevor Mallard removed him.
Along with a jacket and collared shirt, Waititi wore a Maori pendant around his neck in place of a western-style necktie.
The standing committee in charge of parliamentary procedures, including dress code, met late Tuesday to discuss the matter, Mallard said on Twitter.
"The committee did not reach a consensus but the majority of the committee was in favour of removing a requirement for ties to be part of 'appropriate business attire' for males," Mallard said in the Twitter thread, "… therefore ties will no longer be considered required as part of 'appropriate business attire.'"
The standing order was rescinded in parliament Wednesday morning.
Waititi told The Current host Matt Galloway his stand against the necktie is about far more than a simple dress code.
"This is about cultural identity. This is about the freedom of cultural expression and the freedom of the Indigenous peoples to be able to operate comfortably in a space is not suited for us. We need to ensure that we start to break down the very systems that keep Indigenous peoples in second place."
'Appropriate business attire'
The dress code, established in the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives published in 2003, outlines a requirement to wear "appropriate business attire."
But Waititi said his clothing meets that standard without a western necktie.
"There's many, many of us Indigenous peoples who now own businesses," said Waititi, who operates two consultancy businesses as well as a family farm. "And there's nothing specifically telling us what is the standard business attire. So for Maori, what I was wearing is appropriate business attire."
