By now, you’ve probably seen the image spreading across social media - Rawiri Waititi, co-leader of Te Pāti Māori, standing in New Zealand’s Parliament, brandishing a noose like some kind of political prop. I watched it unfold live during the parliamentary debate yesterday and it was one of the most disgraceful stunts I’ve ever seen in the House.
Waititi, never one to shy away from theatrics, says his cowboy hat is a tribute to his grandfather, who served in the war as part of the so-called “Cowboy Company” or Ngā Kaupoai. He also claims his tā moko honours ancestors who were victims of "state-sponsored terrorism." As expected, his speech soon devolved into the familiar blame-it-on-colonisation narrative.
But it was the noose that really took things to a new low.
He referenced a tipuna (ancestor) he claims was wrongfully hanged at Mt. Eden Prison, quoting him as saying, “Take the noose from around my neck so I can sing my song.” According to Waititi, this act symbolised the "silencing" of Māori then and now. He lifted the noose, framed himself as the modern-day victim, and delivered his melodramatic monologue.
Here’s the bitter irony, while Rawiri Waititi cries about being "silenced" in the halls of the very Parliament where he freely performs these stunts, he says next to nothing about the truly silenced voices - the Māori youth taking their own lives at rates nearly three times higher than non-Māori. Suicide by hanging is the most common method, as highlighted by
on X with sobering statistics. Yet Waititi thinks waving a noose in Parliament is some kind of brave statement?It’s tone-deaf. It’s performative. And it’s utterly insulting.
The suicide crisis among Māori is a national tragedy hiding in plain sight. In 2022/23, the suspected suicide rate for Māori was 16.3 per 100,000 - nearly double that of non-Māori at 9.0. These aren’t just statistics; they represent real lives lost, whānau shattered, and communities left grieving.
While the overall national rate dropped slightly in 2023/24 to 11.2, it wasn’t a meaningful change, and for Māori, the crisis remains. Yet Rawiri Waititi and Te Pāti Māori stay silent. No urgent action, no bold policy, no headlines for this. They’ll wave a noose in Parliament for drama, but say nothing about the real noose tightening around Māori communities. The real silencing isn’t by colonisers - it’s by their own so-called champions.
The House will be a better place for the next 21 days without Rawiri Waititi and his Irish sidekick stomping around like they’re leading some kind of revolutionary high school drama group. New Zealand deserves better than this circus.
SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION
Where to get help:
• Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
• Youth services: (06) 3555 906
• Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234
• What's Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm)
• Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)
• Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737
• Aoake te Rā (Bereaved by Suicide Service): 0800 000053 or referrals@aoake-te-ra.org.nz
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111
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