November 2024 Protests

This November 14th, a New Zealand legislative hearing was suspended in the wake of an outrage following the introduction of a bill from ACT spokesperson Gerry Brownlee. The ACT party is a right-libertarian political party, part of the current conservative coalition government of New Zealand, and they proposed a bill which would reinterpret the treaty and take power away from Māori people.

At the legislative hearing, after the bill was read and it was Māori lawmaker Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke’s turn to speak, she instead broke into a traditional Māori haka. She was joined in this chant by a number of the other lawmakers present, as well as some people in the stands. In response to this outbreak, the hearing was suspended.

There has also been a wider response to this proposed bill, as some 42,000 people, Māori and their supporters, have been conducting a march across New Zealand, reaching the legislative building on the 19th. That makes up nearly 1% of New Zealand’s population of 5.3 million. One of the protestors, Eru Kapa-Kingi, said “The Māori nation has been born today. Every single one of you who joined this march today, I hope you realise what you have committed to today You have committed to a future where we revert back to the reality of our rangatira [chiefs]”.

In light of all this backlash, it’s clear that this bill is not popular. The bill seeks to undo the affirmative action in place to help out the Māori people of New Zealand, who are nonetheless still a materially disadvantaged minority. And fortunately, it’s unlikely that this bill will end up passing, as most parties have at this time vowed to vote against it when it is read next. Nonetheless, it’s worrying that such a bill was entertained in the first place.

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References

CNN: Massive crowds march on New Zealand parliament protesting Māori bill. Here’s what to know

NY Times: Why New Zealand’s Maori Lawmakers Protested With a Traditional Dance

ABC: What is the Treaty of Waitangi and why is it sparking huge Māori protests in New Zealand?

The Telegraph: Maori march against indigenous rights bill in one of New Zealand’s largest-ever protests