New Zealand: thousands protest against new government policies that unravel Māori gains
GuardianNOV 20 2023
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.
The newproposed government'sTreaty policiesPrinciples threatenBill decadescan ofpotentially Indigenousundermine progressthe fundamental rights and riskprotections relegatingafforded to the Māori topeople second-classunder citizenshipthe statuslandmark Treaty of Waitangi. TheIf proposedenacted, changesthe tobill languagewould policies,significantly healthweaken authoritythe legal avenues through which Māori can have their rights recognized, leading to social disruption and treatya interpretationsconcerning woulderosion reverseof hardthe delicate Māori-wonCrown gainsrelationship. forThe IndigenousWaitangi rights.Tribunal Thesehas reformswarned fundamentallythat underminethis bill could constitute the principles"worst, establishedmost incomprehensive breach of the Treaty in modern times," potentially leading to the "end of Waitangithe Treaty" if left unchecked.
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