THOUSANDS MARCH TO NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT AGAINST FAR RIGHT ATTEMPT TO UNDERMINE TREATY A nine-day hikoi mobilisation defending indigenous rights concluded in Wellington, Aotearoa/New Zealand, earlier this month, drawing tens of thousands in opposition to a contentious Treaty Principles Bill proposed by the ACT Party. Participants, including anarcho-communist group Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement (AWSM), described the march as a defiant stand against the erosion of Māori rights and the divisive politics driving the legislation. The hikoi began in the far north, drawing supporters as it moved south. By the time it reached Rotorua on day five, more than 10,000 people had joined. When the march arrived in Whanganui-a-tara/Wellington, near parliament, estimates of participation ranged from 35,000 to over 40,000. Protesters spanned generations, from mokopuna (grandchildren) to kaumatua (elders), and included Māori and tauiwi (non-Māori) united by a shared commitment to the kaupapa (cause). ACT’s bill seeks to redefine the constitutional framework established by the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, undermining Māori status as tangata whenua (first people). While ACT commands just 8% of the national vote, it leveraged its position in coalition with the center-right National Party to push the bill. National agreed only to support the bill’s first reading, ensuring its eventual failure, but critics argue that ACT’s real aim is to foster social division and weaken Māori sovereignty to benefit neoliberal interests. The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between British Crown representatives and 500 Māori rangatira (chiefs), has long been a source of contention. Two versions of the treaty exist, with the Māori-language version, te tiriti, holding precedence in international law. Te tiriti affirms that Māori retain sovereignty over their lands and resources, a claim governments have frequently disregarded. Māori protections today remain hard-won and precarious. While ACT’s attempt to reinterpret the treaty stands little chance of becoming law, it reflects broader trends under the current coalition government, which also includes the populist New Zealand First Party. In its first year, the government has dismantled the Māori Health Authority, deprioritized te reo Māori in public services, and slashed funding for language programs in schools. Many see these moves as part of an ongoing marginalization of Māori communities. AWSM, which participated in the hikoi, emphasized solidarity with Māori activists while expressing a broader vision for the future. “In the long term, we seek to transcend the arrangement between a monarchy and chiefs and the formation of a nation-state,” AWSM noted. “But in the here and now, we tautoko [support] those under assault by that state. Our vision of a non-hierarchical society aligns more with the traditions of tangata whenua than with any capitalist system.” The post Hikoi mobilisation for indigenous rights in Aotearoa appeared first on Freedom News.