Crowds throng New Zealand’s Parliament grounds in support of Maori rights

“Just fighting for the rights that our tupuna, our ancestors, fought for,” Shanell Bob said as she waited for the march to begin.

“We’re fighting for our tamariki, for our mokopuna, so they can have what we haven’t been able to have,” she added, using the Maori words for children and grandchildren.

What was likely the country’s largest protest in support of Maori rights — a subject that has preoccupied modern New Zealand for much of its history — followed a long tradition of peaceful marches the length of the country that have marked turning points in the history of modern New Zealand.

Some had travelled the length of the country and for many, the turnout reflected growing solidarity on Indigenous rights from non-Maori.

At bus stops during the usual morning commute, people of all ages and races waited with Maori sovereignty flags.

Some schools said they would not register students as absent and the city’s mayor joined the protest.

The law that the marchers were opposing is unpopular and unlikely to become law.

Opposition to it has exploded which marchers said indicated rising knowledge of the Treaty of Waitangi’s promises to Maori among New Zealanders.

Maori marching for their rights as outlined in the treaty is not new, ut the crowds were larger than at treaty marches before and the mood was changed, Indigenous people said.

As the marchers moved through the streets of Wellington with ringing Maori haka — rhythmic chants — and waiata (songs), thousands more holding signs lined the pavement in support.

Some placards bore jokes or insults about those responsible for the law, which would change the meaning of the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi and prevent them from applying only to Maori, whose chiefs signed the document when New Zealand was colonised.

But others read “proud to be Maori” or acknowledged the bearer’s heritage as a non-Maori person endorsing the protest.

Some denounced the widespread expropriation of Maori land during colonisation, one of the main grievances arising from the treaty.

“The treaty is a document that lets us be here in Aotearoa so holding it up and respecting it is really important,” said Ben Ogilvie, who is Pakeha – of New Zealand European descent – using the Maori name for the country.

“I hate what this government is doing to tear it down.”

Police said 42,000 people tried to crowd into parliament’s grounds, with some spilling into the surrounding streets.

People crammed themselves onto the children’s slide on the lawn for a vantage point; others perched in trees.

The tone was almost joyful; as people waited to leave the cramped area, some struck up Maori songs that most New Zealanders learn at school.

A sea of Maori sovereignty flags in red, black and white stretched down the lawn and into the streets.

But marchers bore Samoan, Tongan, Indigenous Australian, US, and Palestinian flags, too.

At Parliament, speeches from political leaders drew attention to the reason for the protest — a proposed law that would change the meaning of words in the country’s founding treaty, cement them in law and extend them to everyone.

Its author, libertarian lawmaker David Seymour — who is Maori — says the process of redress for decades of Crown breaches of its treaty with Maori has created a special treatment for Indigenous people, which he opposes.

The law’s detractors say it would spell constitutional upheaval, dilute Indigenous rights and provoke divisive rhetoric about Maori — who are still disadvantaged on almost every social and economic metric, despite attempts by the courts and lawmakers in recent decades to rectify inequities caused in large part by breaches of the treaty.

It is not expected to ever become law, but Mr Seymour made a political deal that saw it shepherded through a first vote on Thursday.

In a statement on Tuesday, he said the public could now make submissions on the legislation — which he hopes will reverse in popularity and experience a swell of support.

Mr Seymour briefly walked out onto Parliament’s forecourt to observe the protest, although he was not among the lawmakers invited to speak. Some in the crowd booed him.

The protest was “a long time coming,” said Papa Heta, one of the marchers, who said Maori sought acknowledgement and respect.

“We hope that we can unite with our Pakeha friends, Europeans,” he added.

“Unfortunately there are those that make decisions that put us in a difficult place.”