Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti: A year on from one of Aotearoa's largest protest movement

One year ago, a dawn karakia at Te Rerenga Wairua marked the beginning of Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti - a nationwide march opposing the Treaty Principles Bill and government policies impacting Māori.

Organisers framed it as more than an activation, calling it a step "towards our own liberation as a people" and a reminder of tino rangatiratanga.

The ACT Party's Treaty Principles Bill was a key driver of the hīkoi, with organisers hoping to reach Parliament for its first reading.

The Waitangi Tribunal's interim report said the government breached its Treaty obligations in developing the Bill, warning it could advance assimilation and undermine Māori as tangata whenua. The legislation was introduced shortly after, earlier than expected.

Across nine days, thousands walked, sang waiata and carried the colours of tino rangatiratanga across the motu, united in a call to protect Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

On the final day alone, an estimated 100,000 people filled the streets of Wellington, arriving on Parliament's doorstep.

While the hīkoi was massive nationwide, its impact was global - captivating audiences around the world.

These are some of the faces and moments that defined that haerenga (journey).

From the mist-covered peaks of Te Rerenga Wairua

A mist-covered dawn karakia at Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) on 11 November marked the beginning of the hīkoi to Parliament.

Hundreds were welcomed onto Pōtahi Marae in Te Kao the night before, some travelling from as far as Waikato.

Speaking at the pōwhiri, Hone Harawira celebrated the wave of new, young leaders taking the helm of the protest movement, calling them the "sunrise generation".

The next stop was Kaitaia, where thousands marched through the town's main centre. Supporters lined the streets with flags, and local cafes offered free water and coffee. The sound of waiata and chants echoed across the town.

From there, the hīkoi travelled to Kawakawa and on to Whangārei, where hundreds were welcomed at Kaka Porowini Marae after covering around 280 kilometres.

On day two, thousands gathered at Laurie Hill Park in Whangārei, where rangatira acknowledged the scale of support and significance of the kaupapa.

The hīkoi then made its way to Dargaville, where manawhenua Ngāti Whātua, Te Roroa and Te Uri o Hau welcomed marchers. Hundreds filled Selwyn Park for waiata and kanikani, ready to activate.

The ordinarily quiet streets of the small town heard waiata and haka echo through them as the hīkoi made its way through the main centre.

Residents could be seen peeking through windows to watch the hīkoi pass, with locals leaving their workplaces to see the march.

The group later visited the Kaipara District Council to deliver a statement of support for former Māori ward councillor Pera Paniora, whose seat was disestablished by the council after changes to the Local Government Act.

Auckland's Harbour Bridge sways

On day three, the hīkoi crossed Auckland's Harbour Bridge under a sea of tino rangatiratanga flags.

Led by kaihaka, tamariki and kaikaranga, the bridge shook beneath thousands performing waiata and haka - a sight reminiscent of the 1975 Land March and the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed protest.

Kaumātua Herbert Manupiri, the son of a 28th Māori Batallion, reflected on that legacy, saying it was vital for young people to carry it forward.

"It has to come through our young people," he told RNZ. "Our old people have to teach them."

After stops at Takaparawhau (Bastion Point) and Ihumātao to acknowledge past struggles over Māori land, the hīkoi reached Huntly, where they were welcomed by mana whenua.

Trees were planted at Ihumātao, and organisers reaffirmed their call for kotahitanga before moving on to Rangiriri Pā - the site of a major Waikato War battle.

The following morning, the hīkoi entered Hamilton, where thousands gathered in Garden Place.

Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke welcomed the crowd, shifting the chant from "Ka whawhai tonu mātou" (we will fight on) to "Ka ora tonu mātou" (we will live on).

Organiser Eru Kapa-Kingi told the crowd the hīkoi was not about politicians in Wellington but about "standing up for future generations of Māori".

Up to 6000 people filled Hamilton's streets, with locals crowding balconies and side streets to watch. Waiata filled the air, kai was shared, and tamariki from Te Wharekura o Kirikiriroa joined in support.

Haka in the streets and in Parliament

That same day, the Treaty Principles Bill had its first reading in Parliament.

The debate grew heated. Labour's Willie Jackson was ejected after refusing to withdraw comments accusing ACT leader David Seymour of "rewriting the Treaty" and being a "liar". Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick urged National MPs to "listen to their conscience".

When the final votes were called, Maipi-Clarke stood and interupted, leading the haka Ka Mate - a moment that shook a nation. Speaker Gerry Brownlee later ruled her actions "grossly disorderly", suspending her from Parliament for 24 hours.

Despite opposition from Te Pāti Māori, the Greens and Labour, the Bill passed its first reading and went to the Justice Select Committee.

The cavalry arrives

From Hamilton, the hīkoi pressed on through the rain to Rotorua, where an estimated 10,000 people filled Fenton Street, undeterred by the weather.

Marchers left Apumoana Marae at dawn, heading to Village Green Park for kōrero and waiata.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi told the crowd that neither the rain nor politicians in Wellington could dampen the kaupapa.

"This is about the mana and tapu of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, nobody in that House has a right to debate that," he said.

He also praised MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke for performing a haka in Parliament the day before, calling it a continuation of tikanga Māori in debate.

As the hīkoi moved through the city, a group of horsemen - dubbed by RNZ kaimahi as "the cavalry" - joined the front line, while prominent Māori activist Tame Iti walked alongside marchers.

Steam rising from Rotorua's geothermal fields marked the end of the march, as thousands gathered beneath flags and raincoats.

From there, the hīkoi travelled to Hawke's Bay, where more than 3000 people marched through central Hastings chanting "Treaty Principles Bill nehua" (bury the Bill).

Despite the rain, spirits remained high.

Toitū te Tiriti spokesperson Eru Kapa-Kingi said the scale of support had been "unfathomable".

"Everywhere we go, there's whānau on every corner waving flags," he said. "It hasn't let up once."

As the hīkoi moved south, locals across Manawatū and along State Highway 2 staged their own roadside hīkoi, waving flags and joining in as the convoy passed through.

The runners

Alongside the main convoy, groups of runners were seen hitting the pavement - rain, hail or shine.

Each group covered part of the distance travelled by the wider hīkoi, often starting before dawn and rejoining the convoy each evening.

Organisers had said the running crews played a special role, keeping alive a tikanga from the 1975 Land March.

"The runners or the running crew are almost like an elite unit," Kapa-Kingi said, "because it's one of the tikanga from the '75 march that the whenua is covered."

"I suppose that's a representation of tangata whenua, tūrangawaewae, those things."

Each region the hīkoi passed through organised its own group of runners to carry the kaupapa across their rohe before handing it on to the next.

For the next leg of the hīkoi, the Square in central Palmerston North was packed with about 5000 people ready to activate.

From there, the convoy continued south to Levin for another rally before heading to Porirua for a rest day.

A contingent from Te Waipounamu had also travelled from Christchurch to Picton, crossing by ferry to join the North Island convoy in Wellington.

Arriving on Parliament's door

The final day of Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti brought thousands to the capital, marking the end of a nine-day journey from the very top of the North Island.

Marchers set off from McEwan Park in Petone before dawn, walking the 14 kilometres into Wellington alongside convoys from across the motu. Māori wardens and police helped guide the hīkoi, while passing motorists tooted in support.

By mid-morning, Wellington's waterfront was painted red, white and black as crowds gathered at Waitangi Park. From there, thousands moved through the city's main streets towards Parliament, where Māori Queen Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po joined them - only months after the passing of her father, Kiingi Tuheitia.

Those marching performed waiata such as Ngā Iwi E, while Tapeta Wehi and his students revived Tiriti o Waitangi - a haka written by his father Ngāpo Wehi in 1986.

At Parliament, the forecourt and surrounding streets quickly filled. Police estimated around 42,000 people attended, though some placed the number much higher.

ACT leader David Seymour was met with chants of "Kill the bill, kill the bill" when he walked out of the Beehive for a brief appearance at Parliament's forecourt, before waving to the crowd and returning into the building.

A Ngāti Whakaue rangatahi-led petition signed by more than 200,000 people opposing the Treaty Principles Bill was then presented to MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke.

Kapa-Kingi thanked attendees for their kotahitanga, and told the crowd the hīkoi was not a reaction, but rather, a response.

"The Māori nation has been born today," he said. "Te Tiriti is forever."

The day ended with kai, waiata and a concert at Waitangi Park, closing a historic week-long movement that drew an audience from across Aotearoa and beyond.

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