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It started at the northern end of the North Island, gathering momentum as it moved down the country. By the time of the march – or hikoi – reached its conclusion nine days later before Parliament in Wellington, was considered one of the greatest New Zealand has ever seen, involving 42,000 people. The demonstration was sparked by what critics say is the right-wing government’s attempt to fundamentally redraw the relationship between the Maori people and the state.
Lawyer and activist Annette Sykeswho was at the march says it was a unifying moment for Maori people, but it also showed the strength of public sentiment against a potential rollback of hard-won rights. She says she believes the new ruling coalition is proposing divisive policies that “actually try to destroy that sense of unity that we’ve forged as a nation, that mutual respect.”
Eva Corlettthe Guardian’s New Zealand correspondent, explains how relations between Maori and the state have always been governed by a treaty between Maori and the British Crown that dates back to 1840. However, the coalition government believes the principles of the treaty have been distorted and the focus on Maori rights is unfair and does not make the country more equal. This has led to concerns that progress in closing the gap between socio-economic outcomes for Māori people and the wider New Zealand population will be lost. But, says Sykes, the unity demonstrated at the protest showed that “there is still a desire in the psyche of ordinary Mr and Mrs Smith to be bound together by values of mutual respect”.
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