Hīkoi swells to 10,000 in Rotorua, Sydney to join the movement

Friday, 15 November 2024

Hīkoi mō te Tiriti in Rotorua

Around 10,000 people marched in Rotorua for Hīkoi mō te Tiriti on Friday, police say.

Now halfway through its journey to Parliament, the next rally will be held in Hastings, at the Hastings Clock Tower on Saturday.

An activation is also planned in Sydney, Australia on Saturday in support of the movement.

An estimated 10,000 people have marched through Rotorua on Friday on day five of the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti which is now halfway through its journey to Parliament.

Despite the heavy rain, protesters moved through the town centre with notable figures such as legendary activist Tame Iti joining the crowd of thousands in the activation from Village Green Park to Te Puia car park.

Due to the size of the group, Fenton St was blocked temporarily as the hīkoi went through, a police spokesperson said.

Rotorua turned out in numbers to support the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti on Friday.

Speaking to the crowd, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said neither the rain nor the politicians in Parliament would put people off Friday’s hīkoi.

“This is about the mana and tapu of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, nobody in that House has a right to debate that.

The Ngāti Toa haka Ka Mate, spread from the public gallery to Opposition MPs including the Māori Party, Labour and the Greens.

“It was an agreement signed by two sovereigns… your tūpuna and the Crown - not damn David Seymour,” Waititi said.

This comes after Speaker Gerry Brownlee was forced to suspend the sitting of Parliament on Thursday during the vote on the Treaty Principles Bill as 22-year-old Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke interrupted the session by tearing in two a copy of the legislation before starting the haka.

In Gisborne on Thursday, the East Coast contingent of the hīkoi shut down the Gladstone Rd bridge, filling it from end to end as it made its way to Te-Poho-o-Rawiri Marae in Kaitī.

The Ngāti Toa haka Ka Mate spread from the public gallery to Opposition MPs including the Māori Party, Labour and the Greens.

Speaking at the hīkoi on Friday, Waititi said he was proud of Maipi-Clarke, as the haka is a tool Māori have used in debate for generations.

Meanwhile, following a big hīkoi through Gisborne on Thursday, a smaller hīkoi of around 80 people left Te Poho-O-Rāwiri Marae on Friday morning heading south, accompanied by several vehicles.

This second group travelled through Nūhaka and Wairoa, where about 600 people turned out in support, before connecting with the main hīkoi in Hastings.

There have been no issues reported at any of these locations, police said.

In Heretaunga/Hastings on Saturday, the Hastings Clock Tower is the rallying point for the hīkoi, at 9.45am. After karakia and speeches at 10am, the hīkoi to Civic Square will begin at 11am. The convoy is due to depart Heretaunga for Palmerston North just after midday.

In the South Island, after a big day in Whakatū Nelson on Thursday, hīkoi kaitautoko (supporters) are preparing to travel from Ōtautahi Christchurch to Wellington on Monday.

The convoy will stop at Kaikōura and Picton before joining the North Island hīkoi at Parliament.

Meanwhile across the ditch, an activation is also planned in Sydney, Australia.

Kaitautoko will gather in Martin Place on Saturday and march to the Sydney Opera House at 1pm (NZ time) in support of the hīkoi.