Indigenous Maori lawmakers disrupted New Zealand's parliament with a stirring "haka" dance, voicing opposition to a race relations bill that has ignited protests across the country. Thousands have joined a "hikoi" protest march travelling the country to drum up opposition,

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.

New Zealand's parliament witnessed a powerful protest as opposition MPs performed a haka to oppose a controversial bill. The bill aims to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi, the country's founding document with the Māori people.