David Carter: former Speaker of the House on the calls to lift punishments for MPs who led last week's haka in Parliament - Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A ground-breaking hīkoi of 42,000 people descended on Parliament today, telling lawmakers to kill ACT's Treaty Principles Bill. 

It passed its first reading last week in a session punctuated by Te Pāti Māori's Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke leading a fiery haka and being suspended. 

Bill author, David Seymour, says Parliament Speaker Gerry Brownlee should tighten the rules.

Former Speaker David Carter says Brownlee should possibly pass it on to the Standing Orders Committee. 

"What's very clear as you chair those meetings is - all politicians realise that they may well be in opposition at some stage, so they make rules that actually make our Parliament work."

Police say one person was arrested at today's protest. 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.