Te Arikinui (Paramount Chief) Kuini (Queen) Nga wai hono i te po will be among the thousands anticipated to march at parliament protesting the Treaty Principles bill.
Thousands of people joined te hikoi mo te tiritia (protest march) towards New Zealand's national capital on Friday after a contentious bill that would reinterpret the country's 184-year-old founding document passed its first hurdle in parliament, despite the first reading being delayed by a powerful haka.
In a statement on Sunday night, Kiingitanga (Māori King movement) spokesperson Ngira Simmonds said they stand ready to support the nation in a way that uplifts Kotahitanga (unity) and mana motuhake (self-determination).
“Te Arikinui has a message of hope for the nation and for us to come together to work through our current divisions.”
Earlier this year, Kiingi Tuheitia, the predecessor and father of Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, called on Māori for the first hui ā-motu (meeting to unify) in Ngāruawāhia, with a message of kotahitanga.
That message has since reverberated across Aotearoa, with subsequent hui in Heretaunga and Ōtautahi, and a message now championed by the eighth Māori monarch.
“The Māori Queen is willing to help lead a conversation about nationhood and national unity but will not accept a unilateral process that undermines Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi)," Simmonds said.
“The day for constitutional reform will come, but it must be done in good faith and in accordance with tikanga (Māori lore), and in full acknowledgement of the foundations of our nation bound together through Te Tiriti o Waitangi as Tangata Whenua (people of the land) Tangata Tiriti (people of the Treaty).
“Our nation’s strength lies in honouring the promises we make to each other.”
Te Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived in Porirua last night, and will take a rest day before meeting in Wellington’s Waitangi Park on Tuesday morning ahead of its convergence on Parliament.
Hollywood star Jason Momoa has appealed to his 16.7 million Instagram followers to help “our Māori whānau in Aotearoa”.
The plea, coming less than 24 hours out from the hīkoi converging on Parliament, is the latest in a swathe of global support for the protest against the Treaty Principles bill, which ramped up over the weekend.
Sharing Te Ao Māori News’ Instagram reel of Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke leading a haka in Pāremata, Momoa, called on others around the world to step up and voice their support for te iwi (the people) Māori.
Various instances of the video have been viewed hundreds of millions of times since the haka on Thursday, sparking global attention for te Hīkoi mō te Tiriti.
“They are fighting for their rights, their culture and their coming generations.
“Our Māori cousins have given us so much, from some of the best Pasifika films and actors to overwhelming support on our own ‘āina at Mauna Kea."
He directed followers to a link to the against the Treaty Principles bill, which is aiming for 200,000 signatures.
“Let’s return the favor. Mahalo and aloha e te iwi."
