Protesters at Waitangi on February 6. Photo / Peter de Graaf, RNZ
By Pokere Paewai of RNZ
One of the leaders of a hīkoi to Parliament says it is as much about Māori unity as it is opposition to Government policy.
The hīkoi will begin on November 10, with marchers gathering at Pōtahi Marae in Te Kāo, before setting off from Cape Reinga the next day.
It will arrive at Parliament on November 19, just one day after the Treaty Principles Bill is expected to be introduced to the house.
Treaty Principles Bill: What you need to know
Eru Kapa-Kingi is part of the leadership team of Toitū te Tiriti and said the hīkoi’s key message was one of Māori unity.
“Every step of the hīkoi is less of a step towards that building in Wellington and more of a step towards our own liberation as a people, and thinking about where we go to beyond that whare that has never done amazingly for our people and never will.
“I do hope that the coalition Government feels the heat, feels nervous and feels some pressure around the decisions that they are making, which are outright attacks on te iwi Māori. That’s one element but it’s not the primary element.”
Organisers hope the hīkoi will serve as a platform for implementing Māori modes of self-government, he said.
“That is what Te Tiriti protects: it protects our right to govern and determine our own lives. That is the truth of Te Tiriti so when we say Toitū te Tiriti that is what we are protecting and that is what we are saying is forever.”
Kapa-Kingi said the hīkoi would be open to anyone – not just Māori. Māori liberation does not equal Pākehā oppression, he added.
“Toitū te Tiriti is a kaupapa that is inclusive of anybody and everybody who supports Māori liberation, not matter your whakapapa, your creed, whatever group you may affiliate to. This is a kaupapa for everyone and tangata Pākehā in Aotearoa should not fear Māori liberation.”
The leaders of Toitū te Tiriti have the backing of some longtime Māori activists, including Hone Harawira, which Kapa-Kingi said was both an honour and a pressure.
“There are times where you really relish and cherish the kura kōrero, the little gems that are shared that can only be really touched by experience. So it’s an honour and not something we take lightly.”
The announcement of the hīkoi comes just days after the 49th anniversary of the Land March led by Dame Whina Cooper.
There was a power and a legacy behind the hīkoi model started by Dame Whina, Kapa-Kingi said. But this time organisers planned to truncate the hīkoi, aiming to cover the ground from Te Rerenga Wairua to Wellington in eight days.
That would include using cars and breaking each section of the march amongst a core hīkoi crew, Kapa-Kingi said.
“There are heaps of our relations who just love a hīkoi and see value in that as at least a cathartic release, but it also can be really impactful for awakening and liberating,” he said.
Key dates
November 10 - Marchers gather in Te Kāo
November 11 - Hīkoi leaves Cape Reinga
November 18 - Treaty Principles Bill introduced to the House
November 19 - Hīkoi arrives at Parliament
November 21 - First reading of Bill and referral to select committee
Headquarters owner Leo Molloy has offered to compensate the young victim and her father.