The Facts

• The new National Party-led coalition government has pledged to review affirmative action policies, reduce Māori language use in government departments, and reassess Treaty of Waitangi references in legislation.Hundreds of New Zealanders set off on a nine-day March to Wellington Monday, protesting the Treaty Principles Bill—now in parliament—that seeks to reinterpret the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi. Under the United for Te Tiriti banner, they want the government to “kill the bill.”

• Te Pati Māori parliamentarians broke with protocol by first pledging allegiance to their descendants and the Treaty of Waitangi before swearing the mandatory oath to King Charles III.Organized by the Toitū te Tiriti (Honour the Treaty) advocacy group, the march began in Cape Rēinga in northern New Zealand, with the protesters looking to converge before parliament next Tuesday. As they move south, the protesters have scheduled rallies in towns like Auckland.

• Police reported traffic disruptions in several cities, including Auckland, with two protesters arrested during the nationwide demonstrations.New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi guides the relations between the indigenous Maoris and the British Crown, upholding the former's rights. Associate Justice Minister David Seymour of the ACT New Zealand party introduced the new bill in Parliament last week.