Far North starting point for anti-Treaty Principles Bill hīkoi

Dame Whina Cooper inspired a country when she set off on a dusty Far North road for Parliament in September 1975, on her land march. On Sunday a new generation of Māori rights campaigners will set off from Cape Rēinga/Te Rerenga Wairua. Photo / Frank Habicht

A national hīkoi to “entrench the truth of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the lives of te iwi Māori and Tangata Tiriti’' will start in the Far North on Monday on a nine-day trek to Parliament.

The hīkoi (march), opposed to the Government’s proposed Treaty Principles Bill, is being organised by Toitū Te Tiriti, to “entrench the truth of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the lives of te iwi Māori and Tangata Tiriti”.

The hīkoi will kick of just weeks after the 49th anniversary of Dame Whina Cooper led the profoundly significant hīkoi Te Rōpū o te Matakite.

That hīkoi, in 1975, left from Te Hāpua, Northland, protesting the historic sale of Māori land and the desire to retain control of land still in Māori hands. It started with 50 marchers in the Far North on September 14, 1975, who then proceeded to walk 1000 km to Wellington.

Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti will gather at Pōtahi Marae, Te Kao, at 6am on Sunday, and arrive in Wellington for a rally at Parliament on November 19.

The hīkoi will officially kick off at Cape Rēinga/Te Rerenga Wairua on Monday with a karakia (prayer) at 5am, before the convoy heads off at 6am.

The convoy will then gather at the Orana Motor Inn, in Kaitāia at 10am, then the Old Whangae carpark, Kawakawa at 1pm, then overnight at Kaka Porowini Marae, in Whangārei, on Monday night.

The hīkoi will leave Whangārei’s Laurie Hall Park at 11am on Tuesday, heading to Dargaville, where it will gather at Selwyn Park at 1pm. It will leave for the North Shore at 3pm.

Thousands of people are expected to be at the steps of Parliament on November 19 in opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill.

The lead hīkoi departs from Cape Rēinga, following the same route Dame Whina Cooper took.

Veteran Far North Māori activist Hone Harawira will join the hīkoi, but won’t be leading it, as he has on previous hīkoi.

“There’s a lot of things I’d rather be doing than marching to Wellington, but when everything you’ve ever stood for gets stripped away before your eyes, you gotta step up,” Harawira said.

Harawira led the nation’s last major hīkoi to Wellington, but says this Government threatens to do far more than just take away Māori title to the foreshore.

“They’ve launched a blitzkrieg of racist legislation, using surprise, speed and superior firepower, and all without notification, consultation or expert advice. Their argument is ‘we don’t give a damn – we got the numbers and we’re going to do what we want, whether you like it or not’. Well, we give a damn, and we plan on letting them know about it.”

But this time Harawira will just be another marcher, happy to offer advice and support to the leadership crew.

“In 2004 we had to ring all the die-hard activists to support the hīkoi and rely on their commitment and their contacts to carry the nation to Pōneke [Wellington]. Twenty years on, there’s a new buzz in the air, with rangatahi [youth] leading the hīkoi, building on a string of powerful activations all around the country, using social media to spread the message, and bringing a whole new energy and focus to the hīkoi.

“And their message about the future is awesome – not just focusing on Parliament but planting the seeds for a forest we will never see and creating a world where our mokopuna [grandchildren] can thrive.”

Toitū te Tiriti Waihōpai hīkoi organiser Rivah Hura said it is a hīkoi for tamariki (children).

“There’s a huge emphasis on the next generations but it’s also setting that example. It’s really important for me to gather the people in Invercargill and just ignite the fire, educate them, and empower them to stand up against our current Government,” Hura said.

Hura said she was inspired by Dame Whina Cooper for leading the land march to Parliament in 1975, but she said it was a little bit different this time.

“This Government has not only affected Māori, but it has affected a lot of people in New Zealand.”