Te Pāti Māori protest: Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins inadvertently boost day-of-disruption to news status

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (left) and Labour leader Chris Hipkins.

EDITORIAL

This morning’s nationwide disruption call by Te Pāti Māori and its youth arm Toitū Te Tiriti might have come and gone without too much fanfare had Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins refrained from jumping into the debate and labelling it “illegal”.

There’s not much more that will rile up folks than to be told that something they might or might not do is unlawful.

Up until that point, the activation for disruption call was being spread by social media, via the Toitū Te Tiriti Instagram and Facebook pages, as well the social media pages of Te Pāti Māori. Teams of Māori were drumming up support among whānau, but unlike the December activation call, this was not getting the same amount of buy-in from the community.

The 1000-strong Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi was one of the features of Waitangi Day celebrations in 2024. Photo / Michael Cunningham

But enter Luxon and Hipkins. As soon as this political pair started their rhetoric about taking an unlawful strike day – ironically the junior doctors are also on strike across New Zealand this morning – it turned this day of disruption into a legitimate news event.

Advising New Zealanders that supporting this protest unlawfully could end up costing their job immediately got up the noses of Māori and non-Māori, who otherwise would likely not have participated.

Add to the mix the police list of possible disruption roads looking more like the Wise’s road map of New Zealand and also their request to commuters and motorists to make suitable arrangements – in other words, avoid the carkoi – upped the status of today.

New Zealanders enjoy the freedom of being free-thinking and free-minded people and can voice concerns and opinions without fear or favour. Telling them they can’t do something is a red rag to a bull.

Te Pāti Māori’s carkoi and hīkoi in December protesting against the coalition Government’s fast-tracking legislation taking Māori out of the equation was highlighted largely by the support the hīkoi received from non-Māori.

To see New Zealanders of all ethnicities marching side by side for a common goal brought back memories of New Zealand’s anti-apartheid rugby tour stance, the position New Zealand took against the French nuclear testing in the Pacific, New Zealand’s stand against nuclear weapons and Dame Whina Cooper’s land march to Wellington in 1975 – some of these events are decades old but are burnt into our collective DNA and never forgotten.

So today’s disruption might cause some angst, but it’s just another day in Aotearoa New Zealand.