New Zealand’s parliament descended into chaos as Maori members staged a haka in protest against a bill that would “reinterpret” the country’s founding treaty.

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.

As parliamentarians gathered for a preliminary vote on the bill, Te Pati Maori MPs stood and began a haka, a traditional Maori dance made famous by New Zealand's rugby team. Parliament was briefly suspended as people in the gallery joined in, and shouting ...