Maori haka in the NZ Parliament to protest the Bill to reinterpret the Basic Treaty

New Zealand’s parliament was brought to a standstill by MPs performing a haka amid anger over a controversial bill that sought to reinterpret the country’s founding treaty with Maori.

Opposition MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke began the traditional ceremonial group dance after being asked if her party supported the bill, which faced its first vote on Thursday.

At the same time, a hīkoi – or peaceful protest march – organized by a Maori rights group continues to make its way towards the capital, Wellington.

Thousands have already joined the 10-day march against the bill, which reached Auckland on Wednesday after starting in northern New Zealand on Monday.

The country is often considered a leader in indigenous rights, but opponents of the bill fear that those same rights will be jeopardized by this bill.

Act, the political party that introduced the bill, argues that there is a need to legally define the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which have been fundamental to race relations in New Zealand.

The treaty’s core values ​​have been woven into New Zealand’s laws over time in an attempt to right the wrongs done to Maori during colonization.

But Act – a minor party in the ruling centre-right coalition – says this has resulted in the country being divided along racial lines and the bill would allow the treaty to be interpreted more fairly through parliament rather than the courts. The party’s leader, David Seymour, has dismissed opponents as wanting to “stir up” fear and division.

However, critics say the legislation will divide the country and lead to the unraveling of much-needed support for many Maori.

The first reading passed on Thursday after a 30-minute break, backed by all parties from the ruling coalition. Maipi-Clarke was suspended from the House.

It is unlikely to pass a second reading as Act’s coalition partners have indicated they will not support it.

But this has not reassured those worried about the bill and its impact, with the hikoi still making progress along its 1,000-km (621-mile) route.

In Auckland, it took an estimated 5,000 marchers two hours to cross the harbor bridge. Officials had closed two tracks, It was reported by the New Zealand Heraldto allow them to continue along the route.

Danielle Moreau, who is Māori, walked across the Harbor Bridge with her two sons, Bobby and Teddy, and told the BBC she was “hoping it (hīkoi) would be big, but it was a lot more epic than I expected” .

“I marched to raise awareness that Te Tiriti (Treaty of Waitangi) is very important to our national identity,” said Winston Pond, who also took part in the march on Wednesday.

“We are a multicultural society built on a bicultural base – something that cannot be changed.”

Juliet Tainui-Hernández, from the Māori tribe Ngāi Tahu, and her Puerto Rican partner Javier Hernández, brought their daughter Paloma to the hīkoi.

Ms Tainui-Hernández said those who showed support did so “for the respectful and inclusive nation we want Aotearoa (New Zealand) to be for our tamariki mokopuna – our children and grandchildren”.

Kiriana O’Connell, who is also Maori, said the current treaty principles were already a compromise for her people and she would not support a “rewrite”.

Under the proposed legislation, the treaty principles that will be defined in the Act are:

• that the government has the right to rule and that parliament has full right to make laws
• that Maori rights are respected by the Crown
• that everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection under it.

Legislator Seymour – who is also New Zealand’s Associate Attorney General – argues that because the principles have never been properly defined legally, the courts have “been able to develop principles that have been used to justify actions that are contrary to the principle of equal rights”.

He says these include “ethnic quotas in public institutions” that go against the spirit of fairness for all New Zealanders.

However, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has called the bill “divisive” – ​​despite being part of the same coalition.

Meanwhile, the Waitangi Tribunal, established in 1975 to investigate alleged breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, notes that the Bill “deliberately excluded any consultation with Māori, in breach of the principle of partnership, the Crown’s loyalty obligations and the Crown’s duty to actively protect the rights and interests of Māori “.

It also said the principles of the bill misinterpreted the Treaty of Waitangi and that this “caused significant harm to Māori”.

The introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill comes after a series of measures introduced by the government which have affected Māori.

They include the closure of the Māori Health Authority, which was set up under Jacinda Ardern’s Labor government to help create health equity, and the reprioritization of English over Māori when it comes to the official naming of government organisations, for example.

While around 18% of New Zealand’s population consider themselves Māori, according to the latest census many are still disadvantaged compared to the general population when assessed by markers such as health outcomes, household income, education levels and incarceration and mortality. There is still a seven-year difference in life expectancy.

The Treaty of Waitangi is an agreement between the British and many, but not all, Maori tribes that was signed in 1840.

It is controversial as it was written in both English and Maori – which had only been a spoken language until colonization – and the two versions contain fundamental differences when it comes to issues such as sovereignty.

Although the treaty itself is not legislated, its principles have been adopted in various pieces of legislation over time.

The bill will now be sent to a committee for a six-month public hearing.