Kotahitanga for Te Tiriti: Diverse voices unite against Treaty Principles Bill

Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti stood united to "protect the integrity of Te Tiriti o Waitangi", calling on the coalition government to "kill the bill."

Ahead of the planned nine-day Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, protestors in Auckland and Wellington came together to oppose the Treaty Principles Bill which was tabled in Parliament on Thursday a week earlier than expected.

Te Tiriti Action Group - Pōneke spokesperson Kassie Hartendorp said Te Tiriti offers a "blueprint for a peaceful and just Aotearoa".

Quoting the stage II Waitangi Tribunal report into the Bill, released on Tuesday, Hartendorp claimed the Bill was "the worst, most comprehensive breach of Te Tiriti in modern times," undermining Māori-Crown relations and public trust in government.

"We see this Bill and countless other breaches of Te Tiriti from this government as trampling on our enduring relationship together and harming instead of healing history."

Hartendorp said "secretly changing up the times of this Bill, two days ahead of said change, on the day of the commemoration of Parihaka... only further breaks down trust with both Māori and the wider public who should actually have an open, transparent, democratic process."

"However, we know the hīkoi was never just about this Bill on its own. It's about the raft of bills. So, we will continue as planned on the 10th."

Te Whakakotahitanga a ngā iwi puta noa - Cultures Uniting as One

Hartendorp said in the lead up to Hīkoi mo Te Tiriti, Aotearoa has seen high levels of kōtahitanga within te ao Māori and within te ao Pākehā.

"What we've really noticed is that we put the call out to be able to find volunteers who could help host the hīkoi in Wellington. And when we put the call out, just among people we knew, we had over 60 people show up within two days' notice on a weekend to not just sit around and talk about it, but actually to take action."

The group has built up its capacity to manaaki the thousands of people expected to land in Wellington come 19 November, Hartendorp said.

"We genuinely believe that it's not just Māori who care about this issue. It's actually people of all backgrounds who say, this is actually taking us backwards now. This is unfair on Māori, it's a breach of trust. It's not taking our country forward in the way that we need it to be.

"The task now is to come together in positivity and peace and to show that around the motu and show how many people support that as well."

Arriving on David Seymour's electorate doorstep

Tino rangatiratanga flags, waiata and karakia drowned out traffic in Auckland's Newmarket on Thursday, with protesters choosing this location specifically to "challenge David Seymour's constituents directly".

United for Te Tiriti spokesperson Bianca Ranson said Te Tiriti offers a way forward that provides equity and justice, and the Bill would cause generational harm.

Her message of "unity for a flourishing nation" was backed by the crowd, with some joining the rally as it made its way through the streets.

Ranson believed it showed most people did not want the Bill.

"We took over the streets, caused a little bit of disruption, but that's nothing compared to the disruption and the mamae that's been faced by our people."

Tangata Tiriti for Te Tiriti

Margaret, who joined the rally, voiced her firm opposition to the Bill while partaking in the hikoi and called on the government to, "Get rid of it instantly. It's pointless… a waste of Parliament's time."

As Tangata Tiriti, she underscored the importance of solidarity, reminding Aotearoa that Māori and Pākehā work together, study together, and are "more friends than enemies".

Margaret told RNZ she believed the coalition government was totally on the wrong track.

"It's a waste of everybody's attention."

Emma and her son Griffin stood proudly as tauiwi at the Newmarket hīkoi.

She said she was raising her tamariki to understand they were "manuhiri", and to appreciate the role Te Tiriti played in uniting diverse backgrounds in Aotearoa.

She said to bring her tamariki into this kaupapa was extremely important because it showed how they were not only there for "now, but the future".

"We're not just here now for us, we're here for the mokopuna, we're here for generations to come and for them to know right from wrong while they are young.

"This is what we stand for, this is what we value, and this is what we will always fight for."

Alika (Tangata Tiriti) attended the hīkoi in solidarity and feels passionately about honouring Te Tiriti.

"He Whakaputanga, Te Tiriti o Waitangi are the reason that my ancestors and I can be here and can be on this whenua.

"This whenua has given us amazing opportunity and the least that we can do is stand up now for tangata whenua and their rights, their tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake in this country."

Alika said they wanted to make it clear to Seymour and his constituents "that this is not what we want represented in our parliament...we don't want this represented on our world stage".

They said Seymour's views did not represent the majority of Aotearoa.

Seymour, who is responsible for the bill, said it would provide New Zealanders, rather than the courts and the Waitangi Tribunal, to have a say on what the treaty meant.

"Did the Treaty give different rights to different groups, or does every citizen have equal rights? I believe all New Zealanders deserve to have a say on that question."

He said the earlier introduction was a normal process and the response to it "much ado about nothing".