Thousands of people marched through New Zealand’s capital Wellington this week in protest at a proposed bill that could redefine the founding treaty between British colonists and the native Māori people.
More than 40,000 people took part on the final day of a peaceful walking protest called a “hīkoi”. It was one of the country’s biggest-ever demonstrations, said the BBC.
The protests centre around mooted changes to the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which “enshrines principles of co-governance between Indigenous and non-Indigenous New Zealanders”, said CNN.
The Treaty Principles bill put forward doesn’t propose any changes to the text of the treaty, but it proposes making some of its principles law and applicable to all New Zealanders. Supporters of the bill claim it creates racial divisions; opponents say it would undermine Māori rights.
What is the Treaty of Waitangi?
The treaty is seen as “New Zealand’s founding document”, said The Independent, and sets out the “principles guiding the relationship” between the British and the Māori. There are two versions: one in Māori and one in English. It awarded the Māori the rights of British citizens and some autonomy over their lands and people. The differing texts in the English and Māori versions, however, have left several areas open to interpretation – and historically not in favour of the Māori.
It is not a treaty that is recognised international law, and is “not considered part of New Zealand domestic law”, said the New Zealand History site, but its principles are “referred to in Acts of Parliament”.
What does the bill want to do?
The indefinite nature of the treaty has led to New Zealand governments over many decades attempting to address the disenfranchisement and injustices of the Māori. There have been “billions of dollars in settlements” for breaches of the treaty, including “widespread expropriation of Māori land and natural resources”, said The Independent.
The bill, put forward by the leader of the ACT party, David Seymour, aims to set some of the treaty’s principles in law to avoid them being interpreted in “an ad hoc manner without input from New Zealanders”. It claims the bill would ensure equal rights for all citizens and create “unity” instead of “racial divisions”, said the BBC.
Why are so many people protesting?
Even before the hīkoi this week, parliament was halted by politicians opposing the bill performing a haka, a ceremonial chant. It was started by MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke of the Te Pāti Māori (the Māori party), who ripped up a copy of the bill during the haka.
Ten thousand people were expected to turn out on Tuesday for the end of the hīkoi march, which began more than 1,000km away 10 days previously. It exceeded those expectations, with 40,000 “activists and other opponents of the bill” demonstrating against it, said the BBC.
It is the biggest protest of its kind for decades in New Zealand, and “easily dwarfed the 5,000-strong crowd that turned up for land rights in 1975”.
What next?
The bill is not expected to pass through the New Zealand parliament. It has also caused the coalition government, of which Seymour’s party is a part, to become “strained” over the issue, said Stuff.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, leader of the centre-right government, said he would not be supporting the bill beyond a second reading and therefore not into law, despite serving in the same coalition as Seymour. A second reading is not expected to take place for at least six months.
Despite being unlikely to make it into law, the bill has become a “flashpoint on race relations” in New Zealand, said The Independent. The country has often been considered a “world leader when it comes to supporting Indigenous rights”, said the BBC, but concerns over the treatment of Indigenous people are high under Luxon’s coalition, which could instil more regressive policies than have been seen in recent decades.