New Zealand: Thousands of people have rallied in New Zealand to protest the new government’s policies towards Indigenous people.
The protest action was called for by the political party Te Pati Maori and coincided with the opening of New Zealand’s 54th parliament.
After six years of leadership by the Progressive Labour Party, a new right-of-centre government of the National Party, New Zealand First and ACT New Zealand was elected in October.
The new National Party-led coalition has pledged to review positive discrimination policies, rename several departments from Maori language to English, and strip legislation of references to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
“This is not a protest, this is an activation. Make our voices heard, let our voices fly, and be proud to be who we are today,” Te Pati Maori co-leader, Mr. Rawiri Waititi, told protesters in Wellington.
National Party leader, Mr. Christopher Luxon, called the protesters’ criticism of his government “pretty unfair.”
Mr. Luxon said that, “The reality is we’ve been in government for a week. We are going to get things done for Maori and non-Maori.”
Mr. David Seymour, the leader of ACT New Zealand, accused Te Pati Maori of being more interested in “divisive theatrics” than providing solutions for Indigenous people.
“New Zealanders elected a government that will treat people equally, regardless of their race,” Mr. Seymour wrote on social media platform X.
New Zealand police commented that two people involved in the protests had been arrested and there had been disruption to traffic in a number of cities, including the largest city Auckland.
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