Thousands march on New Zealand capital against Indigenous treaty overhaul

Controversial authorities revises nan 184-year-old Treaty of Waitangi granting Maori tribes onshore rights.

Thousands of group person joined a nine-day march towards New Zealand’s superior complete a contentious measure redefining nan country’s founding statement betwixt nan British and nan Indigenous Maori people.

New Zealand constabulary reported that astir 10,000 group marched done nan municipality of Rotorua successful protestation against nan Treaty Principles Bill connected Friday, greeted by hundreds waving nan Maori emblem arsenic they headed southbound to nan capital, Wellington, immoderate 450km (280 miles) away.

The march – aliases hikoi successful nan Maori connection – is expected to scope Wellington connected Tuesday, pinch participants staging rallies connected their transition done towns and cities crossed nan state aft nan measure passed its first parliamentary reference connected Thursday.

The measurement overhauls 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.

The ACT New Zealand party, a inferior partner successful nan governing centre-right conjugation government, past week unveiled nan bill, which it had promised during past year’s election, arguing that those authorities should besides use to non-Indigenous citizens.

The Maori group and their supporters 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-million population.

As parliamentarians voted connected nan measure connected Thursday, 22-year-old legislator Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, from nan Te Pati Maori party, ripped up a transcript of nan measure and led her colleagues successful a accepted haka dance.

Parliament was concisely suspended arsenic group successful nan assemblage joined in, their shouting drowning retired statement successful nan chamber.

The measurement passed nan first reference pinch 68 votes successful favour and 54 against – 1 little ballot than parliament’s 123 MPs, owing to Maipi-Clarke’s consequent suspension – but it seems improbable to go law.

Coalition partners nan National Party and New Zealand First are only supporting nan authorities done nan first of 3 readings to fulfill a woody pinch ACT New Zealand.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, leader of nan National Party, said connected Thursday that nan treaty’s principles had been negotiated and debated for 184 years and that it was “simplistic” for ACT New Zealand leader David Seymour to propose that they could beryllium resolved “through nan changeable of a pen”.

Seymour said group who reason nan authorities want to “stir up” fearfulness and division. “My ngo is to empower each person,” he added.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies