close
Wednesday March 26, 2025

Tens of thousands march in New Zealand Maori rights protest

By AFP
November 20, 2024
Demonstrators march in New Zealand Maori rights protest in the harbourside city of Wellington. — AFP/file
Demonstrators march in New Zealand Maori rights protest in the harbourside city of Wellington. — AFP/file

WELLINGTON: Booming Indigenous Maori “haka” chants rang out across New Zealand´s capital on Tuesday, as tens of thousands rallied against a conservative push to redefine the nation´s founding treaty.

More than 35,000 demonstrators poured into the harbourside city of Wellington, police said, shutting down busy streets as their spirited procession inched its way towards parliament.

Bare-chested men draped in traditional feather cloaks were joined by horse riders waving the red, white and black Maori flag.

Children marched alongside adults bearing distinctive full-face Maori “moko” tattoos and clutching ceremonial wooden weapons.