Protesters have begun to gather on beaches to burn copies of the Marine and Coastal Area Bill.
Protesters have begun to gather on beaches to burn copies of the Marine and Coastal Area Bill.
Protesters have begun to burn copies of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Amendment Bill on beaches across the country as it enters its third reading tonight.
Social media users began livestreaming protesters feeding wood and paper into a large fire pit on a beach while the crowd gathersand listens to speeches and singing.
Protesters were seen adding paper and wood to a fire to protest the Marine and Coastal Area Bill.
Northland elder Reuben Taipari last week delivered a petition, signed by more than 20,000 people, to Parliament opposing the Government’s reforms of the act.
Kiwis around the country are being urged to participate in the #BurnTheBill protest at their local beach, which Deputy Prime Minister and Act leader David Seymour likened to book-burning.
“History shows it’s never good when they start burning books and this sounds unenlightened and anti-intellectual. What we need is more enlightened debate and not the 21st-century version of book-burning.”
Northland kaumātua Reuben Taipari at Parliament last week.
Taipari said at 6pm, Parliament will hear the third reading of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Amendment Bill (Maca) and it seemed right for Kiwis to burn the bill to light fires on their beaches, as a way of symbolising that the mana and the ihi me te wehi (fear) is still strong.
He said kōrero, waiata and karakia (speeches, songs and prayers) will be conducted until the appropriate time to cast a copy of the bill into the fire to conclude the gatherings.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith.
Organisers are calling people to vigilant and stay safe.
“Find strength in this moment of solidarity that the raupatu [confiscation] of our takutaimoana [coast, foreshore and seabed] will never be extinguished,” Taipari said.
Taipari said the initiative came from a Te Tai Tokerau kuia to continue the country’s abhorrence of the legislation.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, the bill’s author, said: “People are entitled to protest as they will.”
The bill was proposed by the Government to tighten the legal test for Māori to gain customary marine title (CMT).
Northland elder Reuben Taipari arrived at Parliament last week with a 20,000-signature petition opposing the Government's Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Amendment Bill.
“We have been opposing this Maca bill for 12 months and last week took our petition to Wellington,” Taipari said.
“We got back North and thought we still have the third reading on Tuesday night, so thought what else could we do.
“Rather than do a hīkoi and expend energy on a national hīkoi, to a Government who don’t listen to the people, we decided to create awareness at home amongst people not to lose hope.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Act leader David Seymour.
“Burn the bill is symbolism. When ever we were under attack, our kaitiaki [guardians/trustees] would light fires to say the enemy is approaching.
“That’s what we are doing tonight and using our cultural connections and why 21 years later it is still an important issue for us.”
Joseph Los’e joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and before joining NZME worked for urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.
