Parliamentary proceedings in New Zealand once again screeched to a halt this week after an unsanctioned performance of the haka caused bedlam in the country’s normally genteel debating chamber, forcing the speaker to suspend the House.

The latest war dance took place on Thursday after a new MP, Oriini Kaipara, 42, of the nativist Maori party, finished her maiden speech in the House of Representatives with a deafening flourish. On cue, supporters in the gallery leapt to their feet and broke into a ferocious haka to show their support for the television presenter turned politician, with Kaipara herself joining in the ruckus.

The haka may generate online clicks, but for many New Zealanders scenes like this are a bit of a cringe

‘No! Not that’, boomed the Speaker, Gerry Brownlee, jabbing a

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