The Protest: Numbers and Significance
Some 42,000 New Zealanders gathered outside Parliament yesterday to protest a contentious third reading of the Treaty Principles Bill. The show of masses, dressed mostly in traditional Maori attire and bearing their respective flags and banners, gave expression to the depth of opposition to laws that many feel turn back progress on centuries of indigenous rights.
Background of the Protest
The bill, introduced by the libertarian ACT New Zealand party – a junior partner in the centre-right coalition government – seeks to reinterpret the 184-year-old Treaty of Waitangi. While the legislation is unlikely to pass, its very proposal has sparked widespread concern about potentially reversing hard-won rights for the Maori population.
Journey to Wellington
The protest marked the end of a nine-day march, known as a hikoi, that started in New Zealand’s far north, having thousands join rallies in various towns and cities as participants traveled southward. Protesters carried powerful symbolic messages: the Maori national flag and T-shirts reading “Toitu te Tiriti” – Honour the Treaty.
Deeper Context of Maori Challenges
Maori make up about 20% of New Zealand’s 5.3 million population but face stark socio-economic disparities; higher rates of deprivation, incarceration, and poorer health outcomes all indicate that a struggle for equity and recognition still goes on.
Political Dynamics
While their coalition partners, New Zealand First and the National Party, have made it clear they will not let the bill pass into law, critics argue that merely proposing such legislation puts at risk such deep division of New Zealand society.
Drammatic Parliamentary Moment
The tension reached a dramatic peak when Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clark from the Te Pati Maori party publicly ripped up a copy of the bill and led her colleagues in a traditional haka dance, symbolising resistance and cultural pride.
Broader Implications
The massive demonstration reflects not just opposition to a piece of legislation but a commitment generally to the protection of Indigenous rights and the progressive interpretations of the Treaty of Waitangi that have evolved through court rulings and dedicated tribunals over decades.
