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Ka Ora, Ka Ora: The Future of Te Tiriti o Waitangi

May 1, 2025

Joseph Abragao

Ka Ora, Ka Ora: The Future of Te Tiriti o Waitangi

 

Introduction

In New Zealand, there are two treaties that have created the core principles of the nation’s modern government. They were both signed on the same day in Waitangi, a community in northern New Zealand. These treaties created co-governance between the indigenous Māori people, who had lived there since the 13th century, and the British colonizers. There are, however, discrepancies between these treaties that have been disputed by New Zealanders for almost two centuries. These two treaties are separate versions of what is principally the same document—the Māori signatories signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the Māori language, while British settlers signed the Treaty of Waitangi in English. The wording of these two treaties was roughly similar, but the English version contained stricter language and limitations on Māori communities. Unaware of these discrepancies, over five hundred Māori signed.

On November 14, 2024, a video of a Māori politician in New Zealand’s Parliament ripping up a bill and starting the ceremonial haka dance went viral, garnering millions of views across the world. Her name is Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke, and at only 22 years old, she is the youngest person to serve in New Zealand’s Parliament since the nineteenth century. She is also the youngest member of the Māori Party–te Pāti Māori–to be elected. In the video, she rips up the Treaty Principles Bill, which re-examines the Treaty of Waitangi to alter the legal status of the Māori people. MP David Seymour, a Māori member of the libertarian ACT Party, proposed the bill to end the division of political and legal rights between Māori and white New Zealanders under the current interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi. Under the current system, Seymour and the bill’s supporters argue that the Māori are given special treatment, such as Māori quotas in various public institutions, which could be compared to certain Affirmative Action policies in the United States. In response to this, a Māori Party-aligned group, ActionStation Aotearoa, stated that this bill would harm the historically disadvantaged Māori people, create more workplace discrimination against the Māori, and misinterpret the meaning of the Treaty of Waitangi. Using three lenses, the Haka, the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, and social media, this article seeks to create a better understanding of the conflict facing the Māori people and how they are taking collective action as a community.

The Haka

In New Zealand, every student is taught Māori culture and history as a part of their primary school curriculum, with some schools emphasizing in-depth education on the Māori language. Notwithstanding, one of the most important pieces of this cultural education is the Haka—a traditional Māori cultural dance traditionally performed by men before going to battle or for a variety of cultural occasions, and today is best known for being a tradition of the New Zealand national rugby union team. 

Source: Los Angeles Times

According to Māori mythology, the haka can best be compared to the hazy, vibrating motions of the summer air. The first haka would have been performed by Tāne-rore, the son of the Sun God and Summer Maid. Tāne-rore is the personification of the quivering summer air, and therefore most scholars refer to the haka as a tribute to this natural occurrence. When Europeans first reached New Zealand and saw the haka, they were horrified by how the Māori would thrust out their tongues and bulge their eyes while dancing and singing. As colonization continued, Christian missionaries tried to eradicate the haka and only relaxed these efforts when Māori performed a haka to welcome the British royal family to New Zealand.5

Today, as division over the Treaty of Waitangi sweeps over the country, many Māori see the haka as a symbol of unity and shared interest. Maipi-Clarke put this unity on display while casting the votes in Parliament for her party. In the Māori language, she stated that there were six votes opposed, and then began a pao, a type of improvised, short song, before starting the “Ka Mate” haka. The Māori Party were not the only ones to perform, as members of fellow opposition parties, including Labour and Green, joined in with them. Most videos of the performance were filmed from the public gallery, where dozens of Māori Party supporters sang with the politicians before being ordered to leave by the Speaker.

As New Zealanders continue to debate over the bill, the haka has persisted in representing the goals of the Māori Party. “Ka Mate” is a song about life and death, and members of the Māori Party see the perseverance of the Treaty of Waitangi as an absolutely critical aspect of their life in New Zealand. In her pao, Maipi-Clarke said that the government is a guest of the Māori who had inhabited the land for centuries. The Treaty of Waitangi is what preserves the Māori’s rangatiratanga, their self-determination—and they believe that the haka will always be used to ensure its survival.

The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti

Among the Māori culture, there is a tradition known as a Hīkoi, which means a march or a hike. The term is often used to refer to a peaceful protest march, such as the 1975 Māori Land March, a month-long Hīkoi that spanned the length of the North Island from the Te Hāpua community to the Parliament building in Wellington. Hīkois do not follow a sort of official structure or guideline, and there is no official start and end location, though most end at the Parliament building. Many Hīkoi groups, often affiliated with different organizations, will start at their own time and location, and they will eventually join together as they approach Wellington. Before the Treaty Principles Bill was introduced in November of 2024, a major Hīkoi had not occurred since 2009, but the recent protests have proven to be one of the biggest in New Zealand’s history.

On Monday, November 11th, a ceremony was held at Cape Reinga–a far north community on the North Island–to officially begin the Hīkoi. The original group consisted of a few hundred marchers, some driving along in cars, carrying signs, and waving flags. The Hīkoi lasted only nine days, with planned rallies along the route where the number of protestors continued to swell. The support of community members, who were both of Māori and British backgrounds, displayed that this was an issue that extended beyond the policy goals of the Māori Party. New Zealanders grew up learning about this culture and were absolutely determined to protect it. By the time the Hīkoi reached the capital, Wellington, there were over 40,000 people marching in the event. 

The Hīkoi as a tradition has both historical and political importance to the Māori. They see it as a powerful tool to defend their rights as a people and their beliefs. The use of a Hīkoi to defend the Treaty of Waitangi is both a practical and symbolic action by the Māori Party and their supporters in regard to the issue. Many of the most vocal Mãori activists, such as Eru Kapa-Kingi, have continued to call back to the Hīkoi as the clearest display of their community’s strength. As the conflict surrounding the Treaty of Waitangi continues, it is quite possible that the Mãori will continue to reference the Hīkoi, and the protest will undoubtedly go down as one of the largest in New Zealand’s history.

Social Media

Social media has had a growing presence in the Māori community as a means of spreading and preserving their culture. The roots of growth come from the rangatahi, a Māori term meaning the younger generation. Through accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, the rangatahi have laid the groundwork for greater Māori presence on social media. One Instagram account, “Māori Worldwide,” has almost 400,000 followers, and the Māori Party’s account has over 150,000. As the overall presence of Māori on social media expands, it becomes an ever-stronger political tool for them as a community. 

In the context of political and social issues, such as the Treaty of Waitangi, social media has become a key facet of Māori politics. Before social media was popularized, the Māori population had generally low voter turnout and less civic engagement than white New Zealanders, social media serves as a possible window to expand political knowledge and action. Waitoa’s analysis explains that the Māori have a firm belief in self-determination, an issue that is at the very heart of the conflict surrounding the Treaty of Waitangi. Social media serves as an avenue for these views to be expressed and allows for responses to discrimination and disadvantages within New Zealand society. As issues with the Treaty of Waitangi have continued, Instagram is serving as an avenue for the Māori to spread their political ideas and deliver the message of unity that they need.

The Global Shift in Indigenous Rights

The Māori’s experience as an indigenous people, suppressed by their government, is not a unique or isolated experience. Across the globe, indigenous groups which have existed for centuries have been under attack from governments local and federal levels. Today, these once oppressive forces are now making efforts to improve their relationship with indigenous groups. The Philippines, Finland, and Ecuador have all upheld and expanded robust programs that allow for indigenous peoples to freely express their cultures and beliefs.17 Global trends are moving toward an expansion of rights for all types of indigenous people—though one country in particular is moving in the opposite direction.

President Donald Trump’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America has crowded recent headlines for being a humorous and rather strange decision. What has been discussed far less is his far more controversial decision to rename Denali to Mount McKinley despite pushback from thousands of Alaskans. Alaska’s indigenous Koyukon people have called the mountain Denali for centuries, and is also actively used by most white Alaskans as a way to support their state’s past. In addition to this name change, the series of executive orders targeting DEI policies will threaten the citizenship of indigenous Americans and damage the relationship between indigenous nations and the federal government. Both the Māori and indigenous Americans are fighting to hold on to the promises made to them by their respective governments. Both groups can certainly learn a lot from each other on what sort of methods can be used to protect their rights and culture. From a political organizing perspective, there is no equivalent to the Māori Party in the United States. While organizations and advocacy groups for indigenous Americans do exist, they do not have the same sort of influence on the electorate that a political party does. The Māori’s fight to preserve The Treaty of Waitangi is bolstered by their political presence, and similar organizations in the United States could help make it far easier for indigenous Americans to advocate for their beliefs and views.

Conclusion

The issues that we see the Māori face are far from rare. Rather, the policies being issued against them, trying to erase their existence, reflect a continuation of the colonization movement that has plagued native populations across the world. When I saw the November, 2024 video of Member Maipi-Clarke, I had already been curious and engaged with Mãori culture. I have watched the All Blacks rugby team perform their haka, played as the Māori in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, and am one of the most dedicated listeners to the pop group Patea Māori Club on Spotify. Even though I am not of Māori descent, I felt invested in the future of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was disappointed seeing people making memes from the viral clip.  During a time when the legacy of colonization is still woefully present, it is more important than ever to have serious conversations, and understand the impacts of New Zealand’s policies on the Māori. That is why I decided to write this piece. 

The fate of the Treaty of Waitangi will not be decided until after the second reading of the Treaty Principles Bill in 2025. Yet, the Māori have refused to remain idle—by tapping into their traditions and cultural heritage, the Treaty of Waitangi and its significance can be properly preserved for generations to come. Through the Haka and the Hīkoi, the Māori are allowing their culture to put their values and goals on display. As a community, they are uniting behind these traditions in support of the Treaty of Waitangi’s principles. Through social media, the Māori have found new methods to energize their activism and help spread their situation to a world that is ready to listen. Through these three avenues, the Māori perspective on the Treaty of Waitangi is better understood, and so is their fight to do everything that they can to protect it.



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