For those who do not wish to wear a necktie, the news about making a necktie optional for the legislatures in New Zealand has come as a big relief. It all started after a member of New Zealand’s Parliament was expelled from the House for not wearing a tie. Speaker Trevor Mallard prevented Rawiri Waititi (a member of the Maori Party) from asking questions in the debating chamber and eventually ordered him to leave for not wearing a tie. Instead of a tie, Waititi (40) was wearing a taonga, which is a Maori greenstone pendant. Waititi described the clothing ‘colonial noose’ and said that compelling him to wear it was a violation of his rights and an attempt to suppress the indigenous culture. This episode sparked a debate over why a necktie was mandatory in the country’s parliament.
Subsequently, after a meeting with the Standing Orders Committee, the Speaker Mallard said that he had decided to make ties optional in the House. Mallard said: “As Speaker, I am guided by the committee’s discussion and decision, and therefore ties will no longer be considered essential.”