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New Zealanders gather across country to protest new policies

Insults, anger and a haka in New Zealand parliament as MPs debate bill on Māori rights

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.”

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.

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.

All parties except ACT have reportedly made it clear that they will vote down the new bill, which states that nothing in it would amend the Treaty of Waitangi. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon Monday expressed willingness to meet the protesters when they reach Parliament.

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Since coming to power last November, New Zealand's right-wing coalition government has reportedly withdrawn around a dozen Maori-favoring policies, including abolishing the Māori Health Authority. The country has since witnessed multiple mass protests by Maori rights groups.

In February this year, over 1K people marched to the Waitangi treaty grounds, where the document was signed, in New Zealand's North Island after a week-long protest against the bill. Similarly, thousands protested in December 2023 against plans to nix pro-Maori policies.

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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.

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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.

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Police reported traffic disruptions in several cities, including Auckland, with two protesters arrested during the nationwide demonstrations.

The protests coincided with the first parliamentary session following October elections that ended six years of center-left Labour Party governance.

The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840, established governance principles between British colonists and Māori chiefs, though interpretations of sovereignty provisions remain disputed.

New Zealanders democratically elected a government committed to treating all citizens equally, regardless of race. The current system of co-governance based on ancestry is divisive and incompatible with a modern, multi-ethnic liberal democracy. A referendum on these matters would ensure healthy debate about the nation's future.

Thousands protest Indigenous policies of New Zealand government as lawmakers are sworn in

Māori Protests Erupt as New Zealand Parliament Opens

Politics

New Zealand

Freedom & human rights

Civil liberties

The proposed Treaty Principles Bill can potentially undermine the fundamental rights and protections afforded to the Māori people under the landmark Treaty of Waitangi. If enacted, the bill would significantly weaken the legal avenues through which Māori can have their rights recognized, leading to social disruption and a concerning erosion of the delicate Māori-Crown relationship. The Waitangi Tribunal has warned that this bill could constitute the "worst, most comprehensive breach of the Treaty in modern times," potentially leading to the "end of the Treaty" if left unchecked.

Why is a bill looking at New Zealand’s founding document causing major upset among Māori?

New Zealand's new Treaty Principles Bill intends to uphold the fundamental principle of universal human rights enshrined in the Treaty of Waitangi. The interpretation of the treaty principles has created an unintended "partnership between races" and the bill aims to ensure equality before the law for all New Zealanders, including Māori. Open and respectful dialogue is essential to finding a path forward that preserves the dignity and self-determination of the Māori community.

Māori Protests Erupt as New Zealand Parliament Opens

Māori Protests Erupt as New Zealand Parliament Opens

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Māori Protests Erupt as New Zealand Parliament Opens

Māori Protests Erupt as New Zealand Parliament Opens

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