Ilmars Gravis

Nothing was going to stop members of the Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki Greens showing solidarity and joining the Hīkoi Mō Te Tiriti in Rotorua last Friday, despite the constant drizzle, gusty winds and threatening rain.

The hīkoi was led dramatically by riders on horseback, and a group of Māori warriors curated by kapa haka exponent Tukiterangi Curtis.

As the hīkoi moved slowly from Rotorua’s Lake front Village Green, tino rangatiratanga flags blowing in the wind were a spectacular sight against the Te Puia thermal steam, the hīkoi’s end point.

The 4-kilometre hikoi was described by the Rotorua Daily Post as the biggest protest in living memory. The pride and support beaming from the faces of over 10,000 Māori, pākehā, and Tauiwi (non-Māori) participants made it obvious we hold te Tiriti as fundamental to our identity as a country, and honouring te Tiriti as the means to unite Aotearoa.

The same upbeat and positive energy could be seen the previous day in Gisborne, where members of the Tairāwhiti Gisborne Greens joined thousands of others at Heipipi Park in Gisborne to make sure the Tairāwhiti perspective was put on the map for Hīkoi Mō Te Tiriti.

The purpose of the hīkoi was to demonstrate opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill which has now passed its first reading in Parliament and is facing a six-month select committee process. This piece of legislation strikes at the heart of what it means to be a truly bi-cultural country and has the potential to create a back door to massive changes in how we manage our resources, our social services, and the role of government in supporting conservation of ecosystems, landscapes, and biodiversity.

By the time you are reading this, the hīkoi will have reached Parliament, where thousands of voices will have unified in support of te Tiriti, including the Māori Queen, Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, suggesting this is just the beginning of an ongoing, unified, and powerful campaign for recognition of tino rangatiratanga for Māori.

Green Party members of our East Coast electorate and other branches nationwide have been passionately throwing their support behind the Hīkoi Mō Te Tiriti.

In her speech during the first reading of the bill, Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick stated: “This is not just about Māori; this is about all of us. Te Tiriti is why and how each of us is on this whenua. It tells us so much about who we are, how we got here, and where we go if we treat each other and our planet well, if we are good Treaty partners.

The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand Charter states: “We accept Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand and recognises Māori as Tangata Whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand (greens.org.nz)."

Ilmars Gravis is co-convenor of the Ōpōtiki – Whakatāne branch of the Green Party of Aotearoa. To join your local Green Party Branch contact [email protected]  or go online at greens.org.nz/members