New Zealand: Thousands rally in support of Māori rights

The protests – known as hikoi – were held in cities including the capital Wellington, Auckland, Tauranga and Christchurch. Some took place in car convoys on motorways, disrupting traffic.

Some people waved the red, white and black Māori flag, which has become a symbol of Māori independence.

“We are here to have a voice and back those who are collectively working to make things right, not just for us Māori but for the people of New Zealand,” one protester, Christina Taurua, told AFP news agency outside the parliament buildings in Wellington.

Demonstrators voiced concern that political policies and initiatives they had fought hard for, including the disbanding of a new entity aimed at improving Māori health services, external, were being dismantled too quickly.

“All of a sudden they just come along with the click of a finger and change some of these laws,” Ethan Smith told Radio New Zealand in Auckland.

“We want them to have a sit-down with us… so we can thrash out these issues and come to a better resolution for everybody.”

This is the second such protest to take place since the new government took power but these demonstrations attracted many more people.

Later on Thursday, the Māori Party, one of the six parties represented in New Zealand’s parliament, issued a Declaration of Political Independence and said it would move to set up a separate parliament for Māori people.

This, they said, would be part of efforts to transform New Zealand into a nation that respected the sovereignty of Indigenous people “and creates a safe home for all peoples”.

Those who consider themselves ethnically Māori make up roughly 17% of the population, according to Statistics New Zealand figures.

The Māori population remains disadvantaged compared with the general population when assessed through markers such as health outcomes, household income, education levels and incarceration and mortality rates. There remains a seven-year gap in life expectancy.