Māori Queen, Wellington mayor to join Hīkoi mō te Tiriti

Monday, 18 November 2024

The hikoi reaches Porirua on Sunday, before a rest day on Monday, and then on to Parliament on Tuesday.

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has confirmed she will welcome Hīkoi mō te Tiriti when thousands of protesters including the Māori Queen reach the capital on Tuesday.

The hīkoi ‒ a rolling protest in response to the controversial Treaty Principles Bill – started in the Far North on November 10 and converges on Wellington from Porirua and Petone on Tuesday.

Supporters with flags and signs made their presence known on the Kāpiti Expressway as the convoy passed through en route to Porirua on Sunday. It was arranged Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki after a stop in Ōtaki was cancelled because of roadworks.

Police have warned of heavier than usual traffic and some disruption on Tuesday.

Whanau, Pōneke’s first wāhine Māori mayor, confirmed she would be on stage with mana whenua to welcome the hīkoi when it arrived at Waitangi Park at 9am. She would then join her own to march to Parliament.

Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki organised a small hīkoi for the Ōtaki community, gathering about 1000 people in support of the national hīkoi which reached Wellington on Sunday.

“I proudly support this kaupapa and as mayor of Wellington I welcome you with open arms to this city,” her speaking notes for Tuesday say.

“Fifty years ago, my tīpuna Rongo Tupatea Kahukuranui marched to Parliament to support Māori land rights. While I’d hoped that we wouldn’t have to be here today, like many of us, we stand here proudly to carry on the legacy that our tūpuna have laid for us.”

The Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Kuini Ngā wai hono i te pō, has also confirmed she will join the hīkoi to Parliament on Tuesday.

Hundreds waited to welcome the convoy as Hīkoi mō te Tiriti reached its seventh day on the road to arrive at Parliament on Tuesday.

Hapū chairperson Denise Aroha Hapeta said the numbers who turned out from Ōtaki Railway Station to Pare-o-Matangi Reserve exceeded expectations. Many were already at Takapūwāhia in Porirua to support the planned pōwhiri, she said.

“[It] allowed us to have a day of our own and enjoy without being, I guess, overrun by the 1000s … and we'll all be down there on Tuesday with the rest of them.”

It will be the second time gathering at Parliament this year protesting.

Where people gathered at Pare-o-Matangi Reserve was also significant because it was one of the points the treaty was signed, an organiser said.

“…Let’s get our people awake and get our next generation awake so they're well informed on how to approach the next the next 20, 40 years,” Hapeta said.

“Let us design our future, not have someone else tell us how to live.”

Hīkoi organiser Kaea Hakaraia-Hosking, 20, said “our town wanted to show up and wanted to get behind the kaupapa”.

Aaliyah Tamatea, 25, and her dog Kapu Aloha travelled from Pōneke to attend the Ōtaki hīkoi.

Pare-o-Matangi Reserve was also significant because it was one of the points the treaty was signed. “So we thought it was quite fitting to bring it here.”

The national hīkoi was bringing people together and for her, it was about fighting “the oppression we’re faced for hundreds of years”.

“It’s a temporary thing that’s happening, and the ripple effect is kotahitanga [unity].”

Aaliyah Tamatea, 25, joined from Pōneke to hīkoi with her friends and whanaunga [relatives] living in Ōtaki.

The organisers were backed and supported by local kura with many rangatahi involved in the hīkoi as well.

“It’s important to me because it’s who I am, it’s who my whānau are, my friends, a lot of us are Māori wāhine as well and just standing all together,” Tamatea said.

“We're here and the rest of us are coming, so we'll see you Tuesday.”

Participants in Hīkoi Mō Te Tiriti were welcomed with a pōwhiri at Takapūwāhia Marae on Sunday.

About 9000 people marched through Hastings on Saturday morning before heading down State Highway 2 through Waipawa, Waipukurau and Dannevirke.

Police said there continued to be “no significant issues”.

On Tuesday morning, Hīkoi mō te Tiriti is expected to move in convoy from Takapūwāhia Marae to Waitangi Park in central Wellington, before proceeding to Parliament grounds from 9am along the Golden Mile (Courtenay Place, Manners Street, Willis Street and Lambton Quay).

Wellington District Commander Superintendent Corrie Parnell said anyone living or working in the city should plan accordingly.

Hutt Valley residents may also experience higher than normal traffic volumes early Tuesday morning, as well as some disruption along SH2 between Lower Hutt and Wellington City.

“We’ve planned ahead with NZTA, Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, local schools, retailers and other stakeholders to mitigate this as best possible, but Wellingtonians should be prepared for Tuesday to look a little different.”

A traffic management plan was in place around Lambton Quay, the Wellington Station bus hub and Parliament grounds, Parnell said.

NZTA will publish information about any disruption on the highway network in Wellington as it happens.

*CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story had Kaea Hakaraia-Hosking’s surname and age incorrect. (Amended November 18, 2024. 2.47pm)