Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Pākehā, Māori and Tauiwi (non-Māori) all showed up en masse at Heipipi Park in Gisborne on Thursday evening to make sure the Tairāwhiti perspective was put on the map for Hīkoi mō te Tiriti.
The hīkoi had started early in the morning at the top of the East Cape in Pōtaka and throughout the day different activations were held across Tairāwhiti communities, with those who were travelling down State Highway 35 joining in the convoy. 
About 3000 people marched along Gladstone Rd bridge, down Wainui Rd to London St before turning down Ranfurly St and ending up at Te Poho o Rawiri Marae, where kōrero, haka and waiata were shared.
This is the third activation in Gisborne since one in December last year and one in May this year, each time growing in size.
Tairāwhiti Hīkoi mō te Tiriti organiser Haley Maxwell said she felt emotional seeing the number of people, young and old, showing up after she put the call out to whānau, friends and anyone who wanted to join in.
“They all responded because the main hīkoi doesn’t come through here, so I wanted to make sure the Tairāwhiti were on the map.
“That the Tairāwhiti roads were shaking with the sound of mokopuna, the sound of our iwi and the people saying honour the treaty – Toitū Te Tiriti.
“This kaupapa, Hīkoi mō te Tiriti is bigger than anything else and ensures that our future generations know how important it is to be Māori and be proud to be Māori. I think that is something we have heard and felt the energy of our rohe today.”
Sir Derek Lardelli was involved with the hīkoi and was there to support the people.
“I think the numbers of people here, you can see that the solution is in the hands of the people, let us have our say, and it’s for the Government to listen to that particular call for unity which is kotahitanga ngā iwi Māori katoa.”
Mere Tamanui, an organiser of the Ūawa hīkoi, said it was about uniting to reignite the ahi kā, the flames within them.
“We united as one in remembrance and in honour of the tipuna before us that paved the way for our tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake.”
“The unison through our iwi shows the nation how strong Māori become in the face of detrimental laws and policies that suppressed us.”
Tai Kerekere, from Ūawa, said he was involved because the proposed policies impacted the future of te iwi Māori.
“I am here fighting for what our tipuna have done in the past and carrying on that tradition.”
Former MP Meka Whaitiri was also in attendance.
“Why wouldn’t I be here? Our Tiriti that enabled others to settle here was a generous acknowledgement of the mana whenua that enabled all people to come here, we welcomed you, and what’s happened with the Government is putting that at risk,” she said.
“The mokopuna tamariki that are here, a message to the Government but a reminder of our responsibility to protect Te Tiriti.”
Colin Ryan, an organiser with First Union in Gisborne, said it was important to be there as it was about equality and honouring the Treaty.
“It’s about doing the right thing. Seeing the range of different people is fantastic, and it’s exactly what we should be doing. There seems to be a decision that wants to divide us.”
Ario Rewi, who rode a horse at the different hīkoi in the rohe, said the power and spirit of the region would forever be etched into her memory.
“Each participant brought their own strength, their voice adding to the tapestry of a movement deeply rooted in our identity and the spirit of our tūpuna,” Rewi said.
“Like the meeting of two seas, the emotions of the hīkoi were a powerful mix – grief and anger over past wrongs collided with waves of hope, pride, and determination. This was a movement fuelled by unwavering faith in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, a living covenant, a birthright that cannot be taken away.”
While the hīkoi was happening in Gisborne, the Treaty Principles Bill was debated in Parliament.
The National Party, including East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick, voted in favour of the bill under its coalition agreement with Act.
“I absolutely support the endeavours of te iwi Maori especially those from Tairāwhiti which I have demonstrated on many occasions,” Kirkpatrick told the Gisborne Herald.
As you will be aware we will not be voting for the bill at the next vote. So it will not be passed.”
The Labour Party, which includes Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, spoke and voted against the bill.
However, National leader Christopher Luxon has repeatedly said the party will not support it beyond the select committee stage.
Act leader David Seymour, in his speech at the first reading of the bill, said politicians had failed so far to articulate what the principles of the Treaty were.
“Nature abhors a vacuum, so Parliament’s silence has been filled by various court findings, tribunal reports and the government departments having a go at defining the principles,” he said.
“They have variously arrived at the Crown having a duty to partner with Māori to protect Māori self-determination, to consult and redress past wrongs. What all these principles have in common is they afford Māori different rights to other New Zealanders.”
Seymour said the bill did not threaten Treaty settlements and did not seek to rewrite the Treaty.
A contingent from Tairāwhiti left Te Poho o Rawiri Marae on Friday morning and reached Heretaunga by 6pm for a powhiri at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngati Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, where they will stay overnight before travelling to Palmerston North with the other rōpū.
Matai O’Connor, Ngāti Porou, has been a journalist for five years and Kaupapa Māori reporter at the Gisborne Herald for two years.
