Tens of thousands protest New Zealand Maori rights bill

Although nan measure is improbable to pass, opponents opportunity bid to reverse advancement for Maori threatens to disagreement society.

Tens of thousands person rallied extracurricular New Zealand’s Parliament to protestation against a measure that critics opportunity would wounded nan authorities of Maori people.

An estimated 42,000 group demonstrated connected Tuesday, calling for lawmakers to cull nan Treaty Principles Bill, which was introduced earlier this period by nan libertarian ACT New Zealand party.

While nan legislation, projected by nan inferior partner successful nan centre-right conjugation government, lacks nan support needed to pass, critics interest that it threatens to disagreement society. They opportunity it seeks to reverse decades of policies aimed astatine empowering Maori, who dress up astir 20 percent of nan 5.3 cardinal organization but person higher levels of deprivation and incarceration and worse wellness outcomes than nan broader population.

Tuesday’s protestation was preceded by a nine-day march – aliases hikoi successful nan Maori connection – that began successful nan country’s acold north, pinch thousands joining rallies successful towns and cities arsenic marchers travelled southbound connected ft and successful cars to Wellington.

Some successful nan crowd were dressed successful accepted attire pinch feathered headgear and cloaks and carried accepted Maori weapons. Others wore T-shirts emblazoned pinch Toitu te Tiriti (Honour nan Treaty). Hundreds carried nan Maori nationalist flag.

Critics opportunity nan measure threatens group discord and undermines nan authorities of nan country’s Indigenous people, who dress up astir 20 percent of its 5.3 cardinal organization [Mark Tantrum/AP]

The authorities seeks to reinterpret nan 184-year-old Treaty of Waitangi, a archive granting Maori tribes wide authorities to clasp their lands and protect their interests successful return for ceding governance to nan British.

The archive still guides authorities and argumentation today, pinch rulings by nan courts and a abstracted Maori tribunal expanding Maori authorities and privileges complete nan decades.

ACT’s conjugation partners, nan National Party and nan New Zealand First, agreed to support nan authorities done nan first of 3 readings. However, some person said they will not support it to go legislation.

But critics, specified arsenic erstwhile blimpish Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, person said conscionable putting it guardant threatens to disagreement New Zealand.

Parliamentarians first voted connected nan measure connected Thursday, during which legislator Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke from nan Te Pati Maori statement ripped up a transcript of nan measure and led her colleagues in a accepted haka dance.

The authorities would reinterpret nan 184-year-old Treaty of Waitangi, a archive granting Maori tribes wide authorities to clasp their lands and protect their interests successful return for ceding governance to nan British [Mark Tantrum/AP]

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