40,000 Complete Long March to Parliament Against Bill Limiting Unique Maori Rights

The Treaty Principles Bill is aimed at ending perceived ‘race-based’ laws and rights that have fathered Maori-specific institutions and positions.

Tens of thousands of Maori community members and supporters gather after a nine-day "hikoi" [march] to Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand on Nov. 19, 2024. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—Māori and a large number of non-Māori supporters arrived at the New Zealand Parliament in Wellington on Nov. 19 after a nine-day march (hikoi) from Auckland in the country’s north.

In contrast to protests during the pandemic, there was no hostility from the public, politicians, or police as between 35,000 and 40,000 people arrived to take on another contentious government policy.