Tens of thousands of marchers took to the streets of New Zealand’s capital Wellington on Tuesday to oppose legislation that would change a fundamental treaty between the Maori people and the British crown.
For many, it was more than that – a celebration of the revival of the indigenous language and identity that colonisation once nearly destroyed. Shanell Bob said as she waited for the procession to begin:
“We’re just fighting for the rights that our tupuna, our ancestors, fought for.”
Using Maori words for children and grandchildren, she added:
“We’re fighting for our tamariki, for our mokopuna, so they can have what we didn’t have.”
It was probably the country’s largest protest in support of Maori rights – a theme that has troubled modern New Zealand for much of its history – following a long tradition of peaceful marches across the country that have marked pivotal moments in the history of modern New Zealand.
Some marched across the country, and for many the turnout reflected the growing non-Maori solidarity on the issue of indigenous rights.
The march, which began at Cape Reinga and travelled across the North Island, reached Wellington. Before marching to Parliament, tens of thousands of people gathered in Waitangi Park, colouring the skyline with tino rangatiratanga flags, a symbol of Māori sovereignty. Protesters carried placards demanding compliance with the treaty and calling for the bill to be cancelled.
The crowd stretched for almost two kilometres, filling the area around Parliament. Marcher Hayley Komenet emphasised the unity of protesters from different walks of life and condemned the government’s policy as “absolutely ridiculous,” calling the Treaty of Waitangi the country’s constitutional document.
Maori bill
Maori Queen Nga Wai Hono i te po Paki called for dialogue on nationhood and unity, but opposed the unilateral bill, which she said undermines the Treaty of Waitangi. On Monday, her spokeswoman Ngira Simmons said the Queen was not in favour of a bill questioning the historic treaty.
The document, signed in 1840 between Maori and the crown, plays a key role in protecting indigenous rights.
The proposed bill is strongly resented by the public, academics, lawyers and Maori rights groups. Critics fear it will create division, undermine the treaty and damage the relationship between Maori and the authorities.
For 50 years, the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi have evolved through court judgements, tribunals and government agreements to govern Maori and authority relations. Core principles such as participation, partnership, protection and redress have been applied to address Maori social and economic inequalities. A new bill introduced by the libertarian ACT party seeks to replace these established principles.
ACT argues that the current principles have distorted the original purpose of the treaty by creating a dual system of rights and privileges for Maori over other New Zealanders. The party favours ending the “racial divide.”
New Zealand’s parliament was temporarily suspended last week due to Maori politicians performing their ritual haka dance in protest.
MPs were angered by the controversial bill and performed the haka in protest. New Zealand’s youngest MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who started the ceremonial dance, also tore up a copy of the bill. Parliament was briefly suspended as people in the gallery joined in and the shouts drowned out others in the chamber.
