Large crowds protested against Māori law in New Zealand

Von WOM

In front of the New Zealand Parliament in Wellington, thousands of people demonstrated against a law that is regarded by critics as an attack on the fundamental principles of the country and water down the rights of the Māori. The hīkoi mō te Tiriti -mars began nine days ago in the far north of New Zealand and crossed the entire north island in one of the largest protests in the country in recent decades.

The highlight of the protests

The traditional peaceful Māori march, known as hīkoi , reached its peak in front of the parliament on Tuesday, where the protesters urged the legislators to reject the controversial law on the principles of the contract . This law aims to reinterpret the 184-year-old contract between British colonial masters and hundreds of Māori tribes.

political effects and debates

It is not expected to be passed by the law because most parties have undertaken to vote against it. Nevertheless, the introduction of the law has triggered political unrest and re -sparked a debate about the rights of indigenous people in New Zealand, while the country has been ruled for years by the most legitimate government to date.

The protest train in Wellington

massive crowds moved as part of the hīkoi through the New Zealand capital. The participants waved flags and signs and, together with members of the Māori community, were in traditional clothing. The police estimated that around 42,000 people, a significant number in a country with around 5 million inhabitants, marched towards Parliament to protest against the law.

cross -generational support

The participants describe the march as a moment "of the generations". "Today is a sign of Kotahitanga (unit), solidarity and being together as a people to defend our rights as an indigenous Māori," the participant Tukukino Royal told Reuters.

historical importance of the contract of Waitangi

The Waitangi contract is a document that was signed in 1840 between the British colonial regime and 500 Māori chiefs and stipulates principles of co-governmenting between indigenous and non-indigenous New Zealanders. The contract is considered one of the country's founding documents, and the interpretation of its clauses still shapes laws and politics.

The document exists in two versions - in Māori (Te Tititi) and English - which contain different formulations and have long led to debates about the definition and interpretation of the contract.

content of the law

The law on the principles of the contract was introduced by David Seymour, the leader of the right-wing populist act of New Zealand, that acts as a junior coalition partner of the governing national and New Zealand first parties. Seymour states that it does not want to change the text of the original contract, but demands that its principles should be defined by law and should be binding for all New Zealanders and not only for Māori.

broad resistance to the law

However, the law is largely controversial both by members of the government and the opposition pages and thousands of indigenous and non-indigenous New Zealanders. Critics fear that it could undermine the rights of the Māori.

When Seymour briefly left Parliament on Tuesday to approach the crowds, he was welcomed with calls such as “Kill the Bill, Kill the Bill”, reported the CNN partner Radio New Zealand. The Hīkoi-Guide Eru Kapa-Kingi told the crowd that "the Māori nation was born today" and that "te Tiriti remains forever", reported RNZ.