The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti came through in Levin on Sunday bringing out thousands. Members of this whānau came from far and wide to support the hīkoi.
The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti came through in Levin on Sunday bringing out thousands. Members of this whānau came from far and wide to support the hīkoi.
When participants in the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti reached Levin on Sunday afternoon, the support for their cause was clear.
Thousands of locals had assembled at the Levin Domain, where Muaūpoko iwi welcomed marchers with a pōwhiri. Hundreds more lined the route of the march through Oxford and Bath Sts to the domain.
Thousands had come down from Palmerston North and many locals, including some who had moved away, gathered back in Levin carrying flags and banners to support the whānau getting behind the march. Many were planning to go to Wellington.
A multilingual banner used during the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti in Levin.
Tim Tukapua, Muaūpoko Tribal Authority board chair, said it was good to see so many people in attendance.
“What a wonderful day on Sunday to see so many of our hapori [community] stand together in support of the Toitū Te Tiriti kaupapa.
“The Taitoko activation was incredible – supported by tamariki, rangatahi and whānau from right across Horowhenua and beyond – tangata Tiriti, tangata moana marching and gathering together, united as one.
“With even more power and kotahitanga [unity]) to come on Tuesday as we gather in our national response. The three-headed tinihanga of Government seeks to politicise Te Tiriti using scaremongering, fear and division to take us all backwards as a nation,” he said.
Horowhenua locals turned out in force to support the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti as it wound its way through Levin.
“The evidence of the day and the reality of what’s happening on the ground shows us that the exact opposite is in play. The people who are here today truly send a signal that this Government are way out of touch.”
Muaūpoko kaumatua Marokopa Wiremu-Matakatea said the hīkoi was unifying.
“Te Tiriti o Waitangi was a contract between two sovereign nations. Our tipuna did not concede our rights. This is a very pouri [sad] time to see leaders of this country want to take us so far backwards.
Families were part of the support for the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti in Levin on Sunday.
“For many generations, we have fought for this legal contract to be upheld, and here we are again through the hīkoi, uniting to protect those rights for today, for our mokopuna and for the future that our tipuna signed up to.
“I, and we, are proud of every single person who chooses to stand at this time for what’s tika and pono [right and true]).”
Di Rump, he kura hokioi (CEO) Muaūpoko Tribal Authority, said the world was watching.
“The introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill is an outrageous constitutional transgression. Our future is now upon us, the eyes of the world are upon us; Māori voices are being amplified and we are seeing a significant movement of nationwide kotahitanga.
“In every way, the response from many diverse sections of our society to this bill is unprecedented.
Muaūpoko iwi gave a warm welcome to the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti in Levin's Domain.
“The hīkoi, the petition, what happened in Parliament last week; alongside 40+ King’s Counsel, vast numbers of leaders and the NZ Human Rights Commission all writing to express their concern about this legislation.
“Aotearoa New Zealand has consistently been a global leader to aspire to when it comes to indigenous rights. Muaūpoko have colleagues around the world contacting us, incredulous that such a thing is happening here.
“The global community support for the collective response is huge, and we, as Muaūpoko, believe that this will pretty much end up being a government ‘own goal’.
Sir Robert Gillies' family members carried his portrait at the start of the march.
“There will be a rangatira response of historic proportions on Tuesday, and we know sensible people can see through the rhetoric and scaremongering that is being driven purely by politics - not by anything close to logic or the truth. Toitu te Tiriti.”
Tiwana Tibble, general manager of Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, said he remembers previous marches, in particular the 1975 march led by Whina Cooper.
“I remember performing in the Māori Battalion Hall in Palmerston North when she came through there. This is far bigger than the 1975 one around the country. This hīkoi has been impressive and very peaceful to date.”
The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti participants ready to march through Levin on Sunday afternoon.
As the marchers, carrying flags and banners, assembled on the sidewalk on Oxford St, at Tyne St, local motorists expressed their support with patience and tooting of car horns.
March organisers, along with police and Māori Wardens kept traffic flowing while keeping participants and spectators safe, but the main road was closed off for about 20 minutes to allow the march to progress towards Bath St.
The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti participants enter Levin Domain for the pōwhiri on Sunday.
Whole families came out in support, and it was clear it was not just Māori who wanted to express their displeasure at the Treaty Principles Bill.
