Thousands turn out to support Hīkoi mō te Tiriti (March for the Treaty of Waitangi)
Thousands of people have turned up to join the nationwide Toitū Te Tiriti hikoi (March) in Auckland.
It’s the third day of the hikoi, which is expected to arrive in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) from both the North Island and South Island on Monday.
The hikoi is traversing the length of Aotearoa in protest against the Treaty Principles Bill and government policies impacting Māori.
A group of us in our village (Pukerua Bay) are organising a gathering along the main road in support of the walkers when they come through on Sunday.
I reckon the government has underestimated the depth of opposition to their actions, from a wide spectrum of people across the country. For instance, our local group supporting the hikoi are mostly Pākehā, matching the demographics of the community. The government is creating a large, well-organised opposition to their policies, which will create more problems for them. This is despite the PM saying there is nothing about the Bill that he likes, but it’s the price of creating a coalition government.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!