Why 35 thousand people took to the streets in New Zealand, protesting fiercely against this bill

Indigenous "haka" chants echoed through New Zealand's capital, Wellington, as thousands took to the streets to protest a bill that opponents say strikes at founding principles and undermines the rights of the Maori people. The Hikoi Moe Te Tiriti march began ten days ago in the country's Far North and has crisscrossed the length of the North Island in one of the country's largest protests in recent decades. The Hikoi march ended outside New Zealand's parliament on Tuesday, where about 35,000 people demonstrated and demanded MPs reject the Treaty Principles Bill, introduced by the libertarian ACT New Zealand party earlier this month. The bill reportedly seeks to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi.

Given the growing opposition, the chances of this law being passed are negligible because most parties have appealed for voting to reject it. But its very introduction has caused political turmoil in the country. The debate on indigenous rights has begun once again.

Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand and their history and culture play an important role in the culture of the country. Maoris are considered to be the indigenous people of the two large islands which are now known as New Zealand. They reportedly came on a canoe journey from Polynesia in the 1300s. Since then they have settled in New Zealand. They lived here and developed their culture and language. Today they are spread throughout New Zealand in the form of different tribes.

The islands inhabited by the Maoris were called Aotearoa. After the British colonists took control in 1840, its name was changed to New Zealand. New Zealand gained independence from the British in 1947.

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Maori leaders. It is considered the founding document of New Zealand. It is also seen as an agreement to share power between Maori and European New Zealanders. According to a report, the treaty was originally presented as a measure to resolve differences between Maori and the British. However, there are some clear differences in the English and Te Reo versions of the treaty, due to which Maoris have allegedly suffered injustice in New Zealand even after independence.

Currently, there are 978,246 Maori in New Zealand, according to official figures, about 19 percent of the country's 5.3 million population. The Pati Maori, or the Maori Party, represents them in parliament and holds six of the 123 seats. MP David Seymour, who is Maori, introduced the Treaty Principles Bill to parliament. He is a member of the ACT Party, a partner in New Zealand's coalition government.

According to Seymour's party, the Treaty of Waitangi has been misinterpreted for decades, creating a dual system for New Zealanders where Maori are given special rights. The Treaty Principles Bill seeks to end "divisions based on race" by giving specific definitions to the principles of the treaty. These principles will then apply to all New Zealanders, whether Maori or not. Outgoing Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has expressed his opposition to Seymour's bill, which means that when it comes to a parliamentary vote, it cannot pass in Parliament at any cost.

After the bill was presented for debate in Parliament last week, 22-year-old Maori Party MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clark tore it in half. The video of which has also gone viral on social media. After which widespread protests are being seen in New Zealand. This bill is related to the Waitangi Treaty of 1840. It was then decided that the Maori tribes had accepted British rule. In return, their land and rights were promised protection. But now the bill Hana Rawhiti tore in the New Zealand Parliament mentions applying the same principle to all citizens. The leaders of the Maori tribe consider this a violation of their indigenous rights.