Te Pāti Māori leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have been kicked out of Parliament after trying to hold a ceremony to welcome Meka Whaitiri.
Whaitiri returned to Parliament today after last week's bombshell announcement she was quitting Labour, where she was a minister outside Cabinet.
Ngarewa-Packer made a point of order shortly after 2pm, before Waititi and Whaitiri entered the house to the sounds of a waiata.
As Speaker Adrian Rurawhe stood the sound was cut.
He said he had been told that all parties had agreed to the welcome, but was then told by a number of them that wasn't in fact the case.
"Given it happened anyway, I have limited ability to address it except Rawiri Waititi will leave the Chamber and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer will leave the Chamber as well."
Shortly before entering the House, Whaitiri said joining the previously two MP party was "freedom".
"Liberation is to talk on those issues that matter to our people. And unashamedly without any censoring and I'm going to do that for the people I represent going forward.
"I'm joining a party that doesn't censor the voice of wāhine Māori and I am joining a party that enables the voice of wāhine Māori to be heard, for our people to celebrate being Māori, being unashamedly Māori."
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