After nine long and powerful days, te hīkoi mō te Tiriti has made its way to Parliament in Wellington with thousands in tow.
The final leg of the hīkoi was led by kaihaka groups from across the country and brought together rōpū from every region to Wellington, each carrying the mauri of their rohe. Stan Walker has been filmed outside Parliament, with his baby in his arms, singing his waiata 'I AM' live. The track had become an anthem for te hīkoi on social media, as marchers shared their footage from all over the motu.
The Māori Queen, Nga wai hono i te po joined the te hīkoi mō te Tiriti. She was filmed walking inside Parliament, alongside Te Pāti Māori MPs, including Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke.
As the hīkoi set off from Waitangi Park to the Beehive, the streets of Wellington filled with the colours of the Tino Rangatiratanga flag.
A sea of red, white and black started filling out the space in front of Parliament. There, the crowd echoed in waiata, singing ‘He Pikinga Poupou’.
As korero and activations begin on the steps outside the Beehive, footage on the @toitu_te_tiriti Instagram Story shows members of the crowd being told to “look after each other”.
Multiple members have been tracking their journey on TikTok Live, keeping people updated with the peaceful trek as they move in their thousands.
An Action Station petition to stop the Treaty Principles Bill will be handed over to Parliament with a whopping 203,653 signatures and is expected to grow in numbers as the day goes on.
Earlier this morning, organiser Eru Kapa-Kingi addressed the crowd at Waitangi Park, praising marchers for their efforts and encouraging them to take pride.
“Be your beautiful Māori self,” he said reminding the crowd to embrace the day’s tikanga.
More to come as it all unfolds…
