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Eva Corlett
The hīkoi has reached parliament, filling the grounds and swelling out into the surrounding roads and streets.
It is shoulder to shoulder, with people and flags stretching as far as the eye can see in every direction. The notorious Wellington wind is whipping the flags high, their flicks and pops adding to the cacophony.
Some protestors are sitting atop bus shelters, others are lining the steps of the Supreme Court, and climbing tree branches to get a better vantage point across the crowds.
The atmosphere is jovial and energised, as waves of groups start waiata (song) and haka.
Protests in London too…
What is the treaty principles bill?
More from the indefatigable Eva Corlett – a background explainer on the Treaty Principles Bill.
Since New Zealand’s right-wing coalition government took office a year ago, its policy direction for Māori has dominated headlines, but one proposal in particular has faced strident backlash: the Treaty Principles Bill.
The bill was introduced by the minor libertarian Act party to parliament on Thursday. It seeks to radically alter the way the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document and which upholds Māori rights, is interpreted.
What is the bill proposing and why has it prompted widespread criticism?
Wellington man Greg, who is pākeha, said he was supporting the hīkoi on behalf of his partner, who is Māori and couldn’t attend.
“I really respect the treaty...I don’t agree with the direction this government has gone. I don’t think this bill is the right thing for the country, or for Māori, and I want to show up and be counted as one of the voices that stands for what I think is right.”
He said the hīkoi was feeling joyful and peaceful.
Three friends - Sandy, Wendy and Paula, said the last time they had experienced something similar to this protest was during the historic 1981 Springbok Tour protests.
“I think it is very divisive what this government is doing and I think it shows what a weak prime minister [Christopher] Luxon is, by allowing [the bill] to go ahead to the stage it is,” Sandy said.
But the tone of this protest was different, Wendy said.
“It’s absolutely fantastic, there are flags everywhere and people everywhere and children - it’s a groundswell I think.”
There was a “unifying vibe” and people were looking out for each other, Paula said.
Hello and welcome
A nine-day hīkoi – a protest march – the length of the North Island will conclude in Aotearoa New Zealand’s capital on Tuesday, with up to 50,000 demonstrators expected to descend on the nation’s parliament, opposing a controversial bill that they say seek to dilute the rights of the Māori.
The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 between 500 Māori chiefs and the British Crown and is the foundational document in upholding Māori rights in New Zealand.
The Treaty Principles bill, currently before parliament, would dramatically alter the way that treaty is interpreted, with critics arguing it would strip away Māori rights and increase anti-Māori rhetoric.
The bill is almost certain to fail – it does not have widespread support inside the parliament – but even the symbolic endeavour to undermine Maori rights is being fiercely opposed.
The introduction of the bill on the floor of parliament was met with an extraordinary haka protest.
Tuesday’s protest will march from the – appositely named – Waitangi Park to parliament. Prominent Tuesday morning at the waterfront park is the red, white and black of the tino rangatiratanga flag - the national Māori flag that has become a prominent symbol of Māori sovereignty.
Protesters carry placards calling on the government to honour the treaty and “kill the bill”.
The Māori Queen, Nga wai hono i te po, has indicated she will be among those protesting.
Eva Corlett is in Wellington at the protest for The Guardian. Her reportage is here:
This is Ben Doherty, blogging one of the largest protests in Aotearoa New Zealand’s history as it unfolds…