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

First signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Māori chiefs, the Treaty of Waitangi was a guarantee of Māori rights and autonomy and resulted in the creation of New Zealand.

While clauses in the document still guide laws and policy, members of Christopher Luxonthe’s centre-Right ruling coalition have pushed for a narrower interpretation of the treaty in the face of fierce opposition.

As MPs gathered for a parliamentary vote on the bill on Thursday, footage showed Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke tearing up her copy of the proposed legislation and starting a piercing haka.

Other MPs from Te Pāti Māori (the Māori Party) and spectators in the gallery soon joined the war dance made famous by New Zealand’s rugby team.

Speaker Gerry Brownlee was unable to silence the opposition politicians as they left their seats.