Dem
47
GOP
53
This one's going to be pretty short, since we have zero understanding of the nuances here. In any case, the youngest member of New Zealand's parliament is Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who is 22, a member of several indigenous groups, and, consistent with that, is part of the Te Pāti Māori Party. And note, she's not just the youngest current MP, she's the youngest since 1853.
Last week, the Parliament was debating something called the Indigenous Treaty Bill. This bill would "reinterpret" a 184-year-old treaty between the British government and indigenous Māori. Again, we do not know thing one about New Zealand politics or history. However, we do know a thing or two about U.S. politics and history, and we know what it generally means when a treaty between white people and indigenous people is "reinterpreted."
Maipi-Clarke was none too happy about the discussion, which certainly lends some credence to our suppositions. And so, she decided to protest in the way she best knew how:
You really should watch it. It's less than a minute, and it's pretty awesome.
Although the protest led to the temporary suspension of discussions, the bill did ultimately pass the first phase of consideration. However, it is not expected to make it past the second phase. If our knowledge of American politics is at all relevant, we suspect this young woman has a big future in New Zealand politics; one thinks of state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-MI) or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Have a good weekend, all! (Z)