Chairperson of Privileges Committee Judith Collins has confirmed the committee will still meet this afternoon, despite Te Pāti Māori MPs saying they will not be attending the hearing.
MPs Rawiri Waititi, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke say they are being denied natural justice, and called it a "kangaroo court".
They claim their request for a joint hearing has been denied and the committee prevented counsel from making essential submissions on tikanga. They also claim the committee is refusing to hear from a tikanga expert and has set a hearing date without accommodating for the MPs' schedules or their choice of senior counsel.
"The only people who can change the date, time or agenda of the committee meeting once it has been set and decided by the committee, is the committee itself," Collins said.
"It will be proceeding."
Collins said there'll be a consideration beforehand around whether it will remain a public hearing, and "the committee may decide to close it".
"Normally, if the parties were to turn up, the members turn up, that would be public. But, in this case, we'll wait and see."
Judith Collins is the chairperson of the Privileges Committee . Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Greens co-leader Marama Davidson said "haka is a valid part of this country" and needs to be considered as "part of this place" as well.
On whether Te Pāti Māori MPs should attend their hearing, Davidson said she was unable to comment due to the process still being underway, but reaffirmed the place of tikanga at Parliament.
"We need to step back and see the rightful place of tikanga Māori right here in the House of Representatives."
On whether a tikanga expert should have been allowed, Davidson said she thought Parliament needed the support of tikanga experts and therefore should be "part of these considerations."
Green MP Ricardo Menendez March said the committee has to work within the current Standing Orders.
"I acknowledge some of those are archaic and don't reflect the modern Aotearoa that we live in."
As a member of the Privileges Committee, he said he supported Te Pāti Māori and them being allowed to present in a way that would have "culturally appropriate" for them.
Whether they should attend or not, Menendez March said that's a question for them.
But ACT leader David Seymour said Parliament should "cut their pay, that would get them back to the table pretty quick".
He said the committee can make whatever advice it likes to the House, and the House can pass any resolution it likes, but said it wasn't up to him, it would be up to the committee to decide.
"They're pretty happy to grandstand on the taxpayer dime, and tell the world that they matter more and don't have to follow the same rules as everyone else - cut their pay, see what they're like then."
Seymour said if everyone behaved "like they did" this "whole democracy wouldn't work".
"Just because they don't believe that our Parliament and our democracy is legitimate, doesn't mean it's not important to everyone else in this country."
He said if they want to get paid "taxpayer money" they have to "respect the taxpayer, respect the Parliament, show up, follow the rules like everybody else is expected to".
The Prime Minister said there are often "difficult and emotional" subjects to discuss in the House, and in a "liberal democracy, we want to make sure we've got really clear rules for good behaviour in the House".
He said it was important the rules were enforced, and that people do engage with the process.
"We don't want it descending into a complete rabble when we're discussing difficult and emotional issues."
On cutting their pay, he said that was an issue for the Privileges committee.
