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Agence France-Presse

Booming indigenous Maori “haka” chants rang out across New Zealand’s capital on Tuesday, as tens of thousands rallied against a conservative push to redefine the nation’s founding treaty.
More than 35,000 demonstrators poured into the harbourside city of Wellington, police said, shutting down busy streets as their spirited procession inched its way towards parliament.
Bare-chested men draped in traditional feather cloaks were joined by horse riders waving the red, white and black Maori flag.
Children marched alongside adults bearing distinctive full-face Maori “moko” tattoos and clutching ceremonial wooden weapons.

“The vibe is beautiful. People of all walks are here to support. It is peaceful and respectful,” participant Nick Stewart said.
Protests have been swelling throughout New Zealand after a minor party in the conservative coalition government drafted a bill to redefine the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi.
Although the bill has almost no chance of passing, its mere introduction has triggered one of New Zealand’s largest protests in decades.
Many critics – including some of New Zealand’s most respected lawyers – see it as an attempt to strip long-agreed rights from the country’s 900,000 strong Maori population.
“We stand here gathered in our tens of thousands on the steps of parliament to protest this bill for our mokopuna,” said Stewart, using a Maori word for future generations.
Crowds gathered on the lawns outside New Zealand’s beehive-shaped parliament building, playing reggae music and giving speeches that urged the government to come out and face them.

“It’s not the best way to have a conversation. We will not accept unilateral change to a treaty that involves two parties,” said Ngira Simmonds, a key adviser to New Zealand’s Maori queen.
“There is a better way,” he said from Wellington.
Many demonstrators arrived in Wellington after a nine-day “hikoi” – or protest march – that began hundreds of kilometres away at New Zealand’s northern tip.
At the centre of the outcry is government minister David Seymour, the outspoken leader of the libertarian ACT Party – a minor partner in the governing coalition.
Seymour has long railed against affirmative action policies designed to help Maori, who remain far more likely to die early, live in poverty, or wind up in prison.
His bill would look to wind back these so-called “special rights”.

Incumbent Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has voiced his opposition to Seymour’s bill, meaning it is all but doomed to fail when it comes to a parliamentary vote.
But former conservative prime minister Jenny Shipley said just putting it forward threatened to “divide New Zealand in a way that I haven’t lived through in my adult life”.
The bill was introduced to parliament for preliminary debate last week.
Proceedings were derailed when 22-year-old Maori Party MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke took to her feet in the chamber, ripped the bill in half, and launched into a haka.
Seen as the country’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 to bring peace between 540 Maori chiefs and colonising British forces.
Its principles today underpin efforts to foster partnership between indigenous and non-indigenous New Zealanders and protect the interests of the Maori community.
The anniversary of the treaty’s signing remains a national holiday.


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Tens of thousands of Maori, supporters march on New Zealand’s parliament

Members of the Maori community and their supporters take part in a protest march in Wellington on Tuesday. More than 35,000 demonstrators poured into the harbourside, police said. Photo: AFP

Protesters walk towards the parliament building in Wellington on Tuesday waving flags. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

A petition is delivered to Member of Parliament Rawiri Waititi (left) outside New Zealand’s parliament during Tuesday’s protest. Photo: AP 

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon with Britain’s King Charles in Samoa last month. Luxon has voiced his opposition to the ACT Party’s bill. Photo: Reuters

New Zealand’s Aukus decision hinges on Trump’s Indo-Pacific strategy: analysts

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New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s government will have to decide how it deals with a second Trump administration in the US. Photo: Reuters/Pool

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The Chinese flag flies at the Chinese consulate in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo: New Zealand Herald via AP

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New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (right) and China’s Premier Li Qiang pose for photos prior to their meeting at Government House in Wellington in June. Photo: AFP

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New Zealand and China still have ‘significant differences’, despite Wang Yi’s ‘charm offensive’ visit

New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters (right) shakes hands with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a bilateral meeting at Parliament in Wellington on Monday. Photo: AFP

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters in Wellington on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

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Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Wellington on Monday. Luxon is expected to visit China in the coming months. Photo: Xinhua

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Forget UK, North America — Asia is most important to New Zealanders, poll finds

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A Chinese troupe gets ready to perform at a festival in Auckland. China was seen by a majority of survey respondents as the most important country to New Zealand’s future. Photo: Francine Chen 

News

Asia

Australasia

Protesters oppose a bill drafted by a minor coalition party that aims to redefine a founding treaty of the country dating back to 1840


Protesters oppose a bill drafted by a minor coalition party that aims to redefine a founding treaty of the country dating back to 1840.


Protests around the world

Diplomacy

Pacific nations

Human rights