WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) \u2014 A vote in New Zealand\u2019s parliament was suspended and two lawmakers ejected on Thursday when dramatic political theater erupted over a controversial proposed law redefining the country\u2019s founding agreement between Indigenous M\u0101ori and the British Crown. Under the principles laid out in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which guide the relationship between the government and M\u0101ori, tribes were promised broad rights to retain their lands and protect their interests in return for ceding governance to the British. The bill would specify that those rights should apply to all New Zealanders. The bill has scant support and is unlikely to become law. Detractors say it threatens racial discord and constitutional upheaval, while thousands of New Zealanders are traveling the length of the country this week to… <\/p>\n
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) \u2014 A vote in New Zealand\u2019s parliament was suspended and two lawmakers ejected on Thursday when dramatic political theater erupted over a controversial proposed law redefining the country\u2019s founding agreement between Indigenous M\u0101ori and the British Crown. Under the principles laid out in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which guide the relationship between the government and M\u0101ori, tribes were promised broad rights to retain their lands and protect their interests in return for ceding governance to the British. The bill would specify that those rights should apply to all New Zealanders. The bill has scant support and is unlikely to become law. Detractors say it threatens racial discord and constitutional upheaval, while thousands of New Zealanders are traveling the length of the country this week to... <\/p>\n