Activists say they have no interest in meeting the Treaty Principles bill's backer, ACT party leader David Seymour, saying they are not at his "beck and call".
Hīkoi organiser Eru Kapa-Kingi told Morning Report that such a meeting would be pointless.
ACT leader David Seymour said on Sunday he was open to meeting with the organisers of a hīkoi heading to Wellington in support of the Treaty of Waitangi.
His Treaty Principles Bill is set to have its first reading this week, before being referred to a select committee for a six-month select committee process.
The hīkoi gathered for a pōwhiri on Sunday night at Te Kao, ahead of its Monday morning departure from Te Rerenga Wairua, Cape Reinga - with a karakia also kicking things off from Bluff.
It arrives at Parliament next Tuesday, the date that had been expected for the introduction of the bill to Parliament. That filing of paperwork which sees details of the proposed legislation made public instead took place last week.
The karakia begins on the path to the lighthouse as the day breaks. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Seymour told RNZ he supported the right to protest, but he hoped any opposition to his bill would focus on specific objections to its contents.
"It's important to recognise these are people opposed to a range of government policies in relation to the Crown-Māori relationship, but apparently also a number of other policies, including even foreign policy," he said.
"That's fine, there's a legitimate right to protest. So [as] far as the Treaty Principles Bill is concerned, I hope the focus will be on what exactly people object to in having an interpretation of the Treaty that's faithful to the original Māori text, that the government has the right to govern, and we all have equal rights under that government."
Academics, lawyers, historians, judges, the Waitangi Tribunal and the Ministry of Justice have criticised the bill as not being reflective of the Treaty.
However, Seymour said he would consider meeting with hīkoi organisers when it arrived in Wellington.
"Well, let's see what the circumstances are. I mean, it's a long way away, it takes a while to get there by hīkoi, but when that eventuates we shall see.
"I'd certainly look for an opportunity to discuss and communicate, that's what I've sought to do with the Treaty Principles Bill - so long as the issue is 'what do we really think about the proposition in the bill'."
In response, Kapa-Kingi told Morning Report the hīkoi organisers were not at Seymour's beck and call.
"It's not a case of him inviting us to speak to him. We're not at the beck and call of David Seymour, or anyone else who doesn't have the necessary expertise to lead or facilitate a conversation around te Tiriti o Waitangi."
Discussing the treaty with someone who did not understand the Treaty would be pointless, he said.
"The truth of what [te Tiriti] says, its context, its kupu [words].
"And if he can't speak Māori either - that would be very difficult to facilitate such a conversation.
"So that's the danger of everything that's happening with the Treaty Principles bill, that's been pushed by the likes of David Seymour, and the many ignorant people behind him, who have a lot to say about te Tiriti o Waitangi, but don't know a lot about it."
The hīkoi has been organised by a grassroots movement 'Toitū te Tiriti' which was set up in December 2023.
The three opposition parties - Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori - have also joined forces to oppose the bill. Labour leader Chris Hipkins provided a written statement, saying the party supported the hīkoi.
The Treaty Principles Bill, he said, "seeks to undo decades of progress we've made as a country".
"The bill is divisive, a waste of time and taxpayer money, and the prime minister should show some leadership and kill it before it goes any further."
The hīkoi against the proposed Bill is going ahead as planned, despite the Bill's earlier introduction to Parliament. Photo: RNZ / Jessica Hopkins
Green MP Teanau Tuiono told RNZ the party was focused, for now, on getting out there and supporting communities.
"I think the thing for people to note is that, you know, governments come and go but Tiriti - that's permanent, that's here. It's all about who we are, and this Treaty Principles Bill is going to disrupt the fabric of Aotearoa New Zealand, it's divisive. And that's why we've been calling on the prime minister, saying 'hey, you've got to chuck this in the bin'."
He said further cooperative action between the parties would reveal itself once the details about how and when the bill would progress through the Parliamentary process were known.
"I think what we've seen from this government, it is anti worker, it's anti-Māori, we've seen such, such regressive, divisive behaviour from this government - that's why it's so important for people to get out and support this hīkoi."
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said there were a few hundred people and a lot of excitement at Pōtahi marae after Sunday night's pōwhiri.
"I think historically, hīkoi are of huge significance for us as a nation and actually tonight, the hundreds that were there, there's Māori, there's tangata whenua, tangata Tiriti.
"It's a beautiful show of unity to to show the disappointment and to continuously defend not only our rights to be tangata whenua, but to be recognised as tangata whenua in Te Tiriti. And so that's really what this is about, and letting ACT as part of the coalition government know exactly how we feel about it.
"There's expected to be tens of thousands and there's a wānanga every night - there's one that started at 7 o'clock tonight, and that is about keeping everybody in tow and keeping the unity and the aroha.
"Very well organised, and some beautiful young leaders that have come through that are carrying the pou. Obviously, there was Hone Harawira and all the OGs, as they call them, there but there's a whole new generation - I think that's what's exciting, is that this is a new generation with some of the old generation and doing what we do in Aotearoa, just standing in unity when something so bad is being proposed by the government.
"I think David [Seymour] ... he's wasted a lot of time, and sadly, a lot of taxpayers' money when we could have been and should have been focused on, you know, what could we do better as a nation, to address disparity and to address opportunities."
ACT leader David Seymour speaks at Waitangi Day commemorations in February. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Seymour said the opposition parties needed to think about "the position of New Zealanders, which is that equal rights and a Treaty that brings together rather than divides, is actually a very positive thing".
"Their policies over the past five years which sought to divide people into tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti - in everything from the administration of Three Waters to the delivery of healthcare and the operation of government departments - that has created a huge amount of division.
"The government was elected on the basis that the previous government's approach to the Crown-Māori relationship had become divisive in just about every area of government policy.
"I don't think it's wise, particularly for a party like Labour that says it would like to be mainstream, to paint itself into a corner here."
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also provided a written statement, saying every New Zealander "has the right to peaceful protest" and urging everyone participating in the hīkoi over the next few days to be safe.
"I am conscious of the depth of feeling among many Māori toward the Treaty Principles Bill and want to reassure New Zealanders that National will vote against the bill at second reading," Luxon said.
Disruptions likely on some roads - police
Police have warned that some disruption are likely on roads and highways, as the hīkoi passes through.
Superintendent Kelly Ryan said police would keep Waka Kotahi and local councils updated about the roads, so drivers in each area could find updates. She recommended travellers "plan accordingly".
Police had also been in contact with the hīkoi organisers, she said: "Our discussions with organisers to date have been positive and we expect the hīkoi to be conducted in a peaceful and lawful manner.
"We've planned for large numbers to join the hīkoi, with disruption likely to some roads, including highways and main streets along the route."
Waka Kotahi said it would also be monitoring the impact of the hīkoi on highways, and would provide real-time updates on any delays or disruptions.
A police Major Operations Centre had been set up at the Wellington national headquarters, to oversee the response to the hīkoi in each area, Ryan said.
"We will continue to co-ordinate with iwi leaders and our partners across government to ensure public safety and minimal disruption to people going about their daily routine."
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