The Ubiquitous Eye-Opening Protest of New Zealand

New Zealand saw one of its biggest mass protests on the morning of 19th November in front of the Parliament (called the Beehive). The 9-day-long rally of the Indigenous Maori people that started in the far north of the country came to a crescendo in its capital city, Wellington. This march, called “Hīkoi mō te Tiriti”, which translates to “March for the Treaty” was against the bill passed to alter and reinterpret the rights of the Maori people. 

Massive crowds marched through the New Zealand capital as part of the hīkoi, with people waving flags and signs alongside members of the Māori community in traditional clothing.

Crowds estimated by police at 42,000 gathered at parliament where the Treaty Principles Bill was introduced in early November by ACT NewZealand party, a controversial legislature that wanted to revise the 184-year-old treaty of Waitangi signed between the British and Indigenous Maori granting land rights to the latter. The attendees of this protest called this a “generational” moment and said, “Today is a show of kotahitanga (unity), solidarity, and being one as a people and upholding our rights as Indigenous Māori."

The Maori are the Indigenous people of New Zealand, made up of several tribes. The Māori are descendants of settlers who anchored in New Zealand from the Pacific islands in canoes between 1320 and 1350, their canoes carried not just people but also a collective spirit, and for this reason, they established various iwi (tribes) and hapū (sub-tribes) in different regions, each with its own identity and traditions. Their culture is based on values of compassion, guardianship, and building relationships. They developed their unique culture, including language, mythology, crafts, and performing arts.

What is the Treaty of Waitangi?

The Treaty of Waitangi, also known as Te Tiriti o Waitangi, is New Zealand’s founding document signed in Waitangi on February 6th, 1840. It was known to be an agreement or exchange of promises between the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs [called Rangatira] to protect Maori rights, establish administration, and maintain peace and order. It also enshrines principles of co-governance between Indigenous and non-Indigenous New Zealanders. The Maori signed this Treaty to protect their land and tribe as well as to maintain their reputation and relationship with Britain. They called it “the promise of two people to take the best possible care of each other”.

This protest showed that a large number of the New Zealand population was against this bill, as almost 50,000 people, out of the total population of 5 Million supported the protest. The legislation is not expected to pass as most parties have committed to voting it down, but its introduction has triggered political upheaval and reignited a debate on Indigenous rights in the country under the most right-wing government in years. While the bill lacks enough support to pass, critics see in it a desire to reverse decades of policies that aimed to empower Maori, who make up around 20% of the population but have higher levels of deprivation and incarceration and worse health outcomes than the broader population. 

The Treaty Principles Bill was introduced by David Seymour, leader of the right-wing ACT New Zealand Party, a junior coalition partner with the ruling National and New Zealand First Parties, and agreed to support the legislation through the first of three readings. However, both have said they will not support it to become legislation. The bill, which mainly aims at redefining and narrowing the rights of the Maori people in terms of land and voting rights, is widely opposed by politicians from both sides of the aisle and thousands of Indigenous and non-Indigenous New Zealanders, with critics saying it could undermine the rights of the Māori.

Seymour says he does not seek to change the text of the original treaty but argues its principles should be defined in law and should apply to all New Zealanders, not just Maori. Supporters of the bill say the ad hoc way in which the treaty has been interpreted over the years has given Māori special treatment, the Maori enjoy rights that Indigenous tribes in other countries don’t, thanks to the Treaty of Waitangi.

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