Te Pāti Māori has demanded an official apology after a kaumatua in the public gallery was cut off from performing a karakia as the Whakatōhea Claims Settlement Bill passed its third reading in Parliament.
Assistant Speaker Maureen Pugh interrupted the speaker saying there had been approval for a waiata but not speeches.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi called for an apology from Pugh for "rudely interrupting".
"I am insulted by that, as Te Whakatōhea," Waititi said. "So, I call for the Speaker to apologise to Te Whakatōhea before they leave these chambers."
"What we allowed was to give you warning, you didn't use any of your cultural support but you could have to ensure the mana of this kaupapa, the mana of our iwi was respected. There was a very wrong here done today and they must be apologised to before they leave," Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said.
The Greens and Labour agreed Pugh should apologise for the interruption.
Pugh said she would consult with Speaker Gerry Brownlee about the matter.
The Whakatōhea Claims Settlement Bill passed its third and final reading in the House on Tuesday which ended three decades of negotiations between iwi and the Crown.
Whakatōhea is an iwi based in the Bay of Plenty and its six hapū include Ngāi Tamahaua, Ngāti Ira, Ngāti Ngahere, Ngāti Patumoana, Ngāti Ruatākenga and Te Ūpokorehe. Whakatōhea descendants representing approximately 16,000 members came to Parliament to witness the occasion.
Whakatōhea Claims Settlement Bill marks a new era of the iwi's relationship with the Crown, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith said.
It includes the reservation of 5000 hectares of marine space for aquaculture, $100 million financial, cultural, and commercial redress, the transfer of 33 sites of cultural significance, bespoke natural resource and conservation arrangements, and relationship agreements with core Crown agencies.
"The historical grievances of Te Whakatōhea against the Crown include the unjustifiable invasion, occupation and raupatu of their tribal area, the use of scorched earth policies and the failure to act in good faith in its treatment and execution of their tipuna Mokomoko," Goldsmith said.
"The historical grievances caused the break-down of their tribal structures, their language and tikanga, it also caused the stigmatisation of the Mokomoko whānau and descendants.
"This final step marks the beginning of a new era of the relationship with the Crown based on trust and co-operation."
