Launching the waka: The Māori activists rallying a year of protest

When ACT Party leader David Seymour stood to speak on the paepae during Waitangi Day commemorations, a rōpu among the crowd began a waiata.

Waiata are typically used during a pōwhiri to support or enhance the speaker's kōrero. But in accordance with tikanga, once a waiata begins, the speaker is normally finished.

So, when a kōrero isn't well-received, one way to shut it down is to start the waiata early. And the words the group sang were not of support: "Whakarongo, e noho…" they began - "Listen, sit down".

Among the wide-brimmed hats, carved tokotoko and formal wear on the paepae, the group already stood out. Wielding white placards in the rat-gnawed shape of the Treaty of Waitangi document, Eru Kapa-Kingi (uri nō Ngāpuhi and Te Aupōuri) and Māori artist Hohepa Thompson had led two dozen protestors onto the atea of Te Whare Rūnanga during the pōwhiri for Government officials.

The words on the placards announced their identity: 'Toitū te Tiriti'.

Waitangi Day has long been a rallying moment for Māoridom each year, but this was far from the first protest against the coalition government.

From the first weeks that National, ACT and NZ First came to power, mana whenua began coming together in what has grown into an extraordinary wave of protest, under the banner of kōtahitanga (unity), against perceived attacks on Māori rights and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Aotearoa's founding document.

In the year since, the country has seen nationwide protests, urgent claims to the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gathering of more than 10,000 people at Tuurangawaewae - the seat of the Kiingitanga - at the request of the Māori king.

The Treaty Principles Bill - which aims to redefine the principles and enshrine them in law - remains the focal point for protest. The Waitangi Tribunal has said it would be the worst, most comprehensive breach of te Tiriti in modern times, warning that it could cause social disorder.

But Māori have also expressed their concerns over the axing of Te Aka Whai Ora, (the Māori Health Authority), the re-introduction of referenda on Māori wards, removing references to Tiriti o Waitangi in legislation, and policies related to the use and funding of te reo Māori.

Next week, a hīkoi will travel from Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) all the way to Parliament, echoing the foreshore and seabed hīkoi 20 years ago.

The hīkoi was originally intended to arrive in Wellington to coincide with the introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill, but the bill's introduction was brought forward and the hīkoi will now arrive more than a week later.

It is just the latest event in a series of 'activations' organised by 'Toitū te Tiriti', a group of activists who are harnessing the power of social media to rally Māori in protest against the government.

It will be the third time in a year that they have mobilised Māori around the country. Where did they come from?

A new government - and a new movement

When 'Toitū te Tiriti' was first established in December last year, little was known about the movement, and who was behind it. The faceless social media campaign bore little to no information about its leaders, meaning the movement was shrouded in mystery.

It was first shared on social media by Te Pāti Māori and its MPs, suggesting the party could be behind the campaign - which promised a "unified Aotearoa approach to the government's assault on Tangata Whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi", among other things.

It also called for a 'nationwide action day', to coincide with the opening of the new parliament.

With the promotion and support of Te Pāti Māori MPs sharing on their own social media profiles, the first event was well-attended across the country.

Then came the Waitangi Day protest, where Eru Kapa-Kingi, alongside Kiri Tamihere and Hohepa Thompson, revealed themselves as the founders of the movement.

While the movement is not run directly by Te Pāti Māori, there are strong connections between the two.

Two of the Toitū te Tiriti leaders have close whānau connections. Kapa-Kingi is the son of Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, and was himself ninth on the party's list in the 2023 general election. Tamihere-Waititi is the wife of Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and daughter of Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere.

Spokesperson Kapa-Kingi says the movement was created in reaction to the government's coalition agreements and 100-day plan, which he calls a "deliberate agenda to remove Māori rights completely", and a targeted attack on Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

"As soon as this coalition government came in it sparked a fire in me and also in the people that I spend a lot of time with, particularly discussing our rights and our liberation as a people."

In May this year the group organised another day of action, asking people to 'strike' on Budget Day. With less than a week's notice, Māori showed up in droves, in almost 40 different locations.

Now almost a year since its inception, the movement has gained traction, amassing 24,000 followers on Instagram and prompting online spikes in searches for 'toitū' every time they organise an event.

"It's evolved and grown into something bigger than me, bigger than ourselves, and bigger than any individual or group," Kapa-Kingi says. "This is a movement for te katoa, for everyone."

The word 'Toitū' means undisturbed, enduring, and permanent. Kapa-Kingi says the phrase 'Toitū te Tiriti' is a reminder that Te Tiriti o Waitangi isn't going anywhere.

The leaders of Toitū te Tiriti also have the backing of some veteran activists, including Hone Harawira, Kapa-Kingi's uncle, one of the leaders of the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed hīkoi.

Kapa-Kingi has sought the guidance of Harawira over the past year.

"We're the generation that's been privileged and honoured to receive the taonga and the gifts that the generation of my uncle fought for. Ko te reo kei tēnei reanga, ko ngā tikanga kei tēnei reanga. (This generation have the Māori language, this generation have Māori customary practices) The confidence to speak Māori and to practice our tikanga is a power we have, that wasn't so prevalent at the time of my uncle."

A lot has changed in the 20 years since the foreshore and seabed hīkoi. Kapa-Kingi says the introduction of social media has been a game-changer for activism.

"Every time my uncle talks about it [the foreshore and seabed hīkoi] and the fact they had to ring people individually to get them to come, I can't even fathom it."

Kapa-Kingi says it's easier for his generation now.

"We have no excuses, and we gotta go bigger, and we gotta go better or otherwise, he moumou ēnei taonga kei o tātou ringaringa. (Otherwise, These treasures will be a waste in our hands.)

"With that comes a duty and obligation to use it and use those powers in the right way and in a way that can get impact."

A learning curve

While Māori have rallied behind the movement, Toitū te Tiriti hasn't been without controversy.

Early on, some criticised the movement for its choice to use guns in promotional imagery.

Created by artist Hohepa Thompson, also known as 'Hori', the original Toitū te Tiriti tohu showed two duelling pistols crossed with the Tino Rangatiratanga and New Zealand flags.

Hori gifted the artwork as a koha to the movement, and said it was meant to represent te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā, with the guns symbolising the 'battles and blood that has been shed between both cultures".

NZ First MP and government minister Shane Jones was among those who criticised the imagery, along with some of the movement's own social media followers.

"I tautoko the kaupapa of these rallies completely, but I think the choice of imagery is unwise and doesn't demonstrate peaceful intent," one user said.

"Even though the intention is declared peaceful, the imagery of guns just isn't peaceful to me," said another.

Toitū te Tiriti has also been criticised for its use of the word 'strike' in May, and asking whānau Māori to take a day off work to protest.

Both Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins warned protesters not to break the law, while acknowledging people's right to protest.

Again, the group's own social media community raised concerns.

"I get it but in this current cost of living crisis, whānau shouldn't feel pressured by this to take a day off mahi… If some whānau can't afford the day off, I hope they don't see this and feel pressured into following what others will be doing," one user commented.

Toitū te Tiriti hasn't used gun imagery on its social media channels since May and Kapa-Kingi has welcomed all of the feedback.

"There's always room to develop and to learn," he says.

"It's influenced a lot of our decision-making. It's healthy for the development of the kaupapa, and I'm grateful for those opportunities to develop."

But he doesn't want the group to lose sight of its main goals.

"The thing that we always hold onto first is the integrity of the kaupapa - so other changes and developments cannot veer us away from the kaupapa, which is the liberation and freedom of our people."

A few weeks ago, Toitū te Tiriti announced a refreshed leadership team, which has grown from three to seven. Alongside Kapa-Kingi, Tamihere-Waititi and Thompson, they have welcomed Anahera Mana Tupara, Te Rawhitiroa Bosch, Nyze Manuel and Wairere Iti into the fold, with useful backgrounds in activism, event management, business and marketing.

"The last activation we did on Budget Day … we had about five days and three people, and it was intense. After that, we definitely learned that we needed more people, because it's a lot of work, a lot of thinking. And so we've grown our team because of the need to grow the movement."

Does it make a difference?

Toitū te Tiriti's reach may be growing - but do these sorts of movements and resistance have any influence on decision-makers?

Annette Sykes (Te Arawa, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Makino, Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe) is a veteran Māori activist and leads her own law firm, specialising in Waitangi Tribunal and Māori Land Court work.

Sykes has headed several urgent Waitangi Tribunal claims. Instead of marching in the street, her activism plays out in the courtroom.

"There's many ways to climb a mountain, and you must first of all, educate our people about the pace of change, about what the proposed changes are, about how that change is going to impact your lives," she says.

"The greatest influence in democracy is influencing the voter. It's not the policy decisions. And I think [Toitū te Tiriti is] having an influence."

Toitū te Tiriti is not the only group wielding a strong influence.

Political scientist and Charles Sturt University professor Dominic O'Sullivan (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu) says events at Tuurangawaewae marae earlier in the year revealed the direct effects of Māori coming together.

In a year of big moments for Māoridom, the role of the Kiingitanga movement has stood out.

The Kiingitanga has chosen to remain apolitical at times, but this year saw a diversion from that. In a rare move, the Māori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau te Wherowhero VII, issued Te Paki o Matariki, the highest form of proclamation he could make, calling a hui to unify the nation and hold the government to account.

It was the first such proclamation in more than a decade. The last was in 2012, prompted by a debate over water rights.

Tuheitia's call was answered when more than 10,000 people descended on Tuurangwaewae marae in Ngaaruawaahia in the Waikato for the first hui-ā-motu.

Conversations have continued throughout the year, with the mauri of hui-ā-motu being passed to ngā hau e whā (the four winds, or corners of the country), resulting in four wānanga in total.

"There is an enormous sense of purpose," O'Sullivan says.

"I think that really stood out in the hui at Tuurangawaewae earlier in the year that Kiingi Tuheitia organised. 10,000 people coming together from all over the country to unite on a single kaupapa is pretty extraordinary. It doesn't happen much in New Zealand politics on any kind of issue, and I think that's important."

It certainly sent a message to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, O'Sullivan says.

"While the National Party had always said that it didn't want the Treaty Principles Bill, it started to say it much more unequivocally and categorically a few days after Tuurangawaewae. I think if that hui had not occurred, or if it had occurred, but with only 1000 people, I don't think we would have had that intervention from the Prime Minister."

Annette Sykes has attended some of the hui-ā-motu this year and says it's been powerful to watch.

"The mobilisation of those hui has created a sense of unity of purpose, kōtahitanga, I believe, not seen since the 1980s or 1816. That kind of mobilisation of unity - it's a powerful force."

Tuheitia died at the end of August, and Māori once again came together, this time to mourn a great leader. Regarded as Te Kiingi o te Kōtahitanga, the King of Unity, his loss was grieved by Māori near and far, who were suddenly without a captain navigating rough seas.

Since his death, his youngest daughter Te Arikinui Ngawai hono i te Po has been named as Kuini and head of the Kiingitanga movement. Whether she will step into the world of politics is unclear so far - but Sykes says there is great potential there.

Why a hīkoi?

The latest hīkoi planned by Toitū te Tiriti will begin on 10 November, with marchers travelling from Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) to Kaitāia, Whangārei, across Auckland's Harbour Bridge to Bastion Point, Huntly, Hamilton, Rotorua, Hastings, Palmerston North and Porirua over a nine-day period.

It will arrive at Parliament on 19 November - too late now for the earlier-than-expected introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill - but in a social media post Kapa-Kingi told followers the hīkoi will still go ahead.

"We always knew a shuffle like this would come along, this is not unexpected from this coalition, they have shown us who they are for the past year. However this timing change does not matter, our kaupapa could never be, and will not be overshadowed.

"This just gives us more kaha to get on our whenua and march for our mokopuna. Bills come and go, but Te Tiriti is infinite, and so are we. Our plans will not change. Kia kaha tātou."

Kapa-Kingi told RNZ there was a lot of discussion over whether a hīkoi was the right form of protest.

"It's a huge investment. But where we landed was basically our generation's version of a hīkoi, which is a hard and fast one-week one, from the tail of the fish to the head of the fish within a week, utilising all of the tools we have in terms of social media to amplify the power and the energy of the hīkoi."

Ultimately, he wants Māori to move from a place of war to a place of peace.

"We're right on the brink of shifting from a Tūmatauenga realm, which is the realm of fighting, into a Rongo realm, realm of peace, liberation and living our best Māori lives. The fight is necessary but we can't just keep fighting and fighting and fighting," he says.

"That's the shift that our generation is living in, and that's reflected in how we activate and how we do activism as this current generation."

Kapa-Kingi says the Toitū te Tiriti movement represents the "waka-launching generation" who want to make things happen.

"You can make the flashest waka in the world and keep theorising about how your waka is going to go on the water, but there's a point where you just have to launch it, and that's what I'm keen on promoting through Toitū to Tiriti: is just launch the damn waka."

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