Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris waves the Māori flag as he leads marchers outside the Invercargill City Council into their Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti down Esk St. PHOTO: NINA TAPU
The gathering was part of a movement, with supporters around the country marching from both Cape Reinga and Bluff to Parliament in 10 days in opposition to the coalition government’s Treaty Principles Bill.
Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris led the Hīkoi from Bluff with a karakia at 6am at Bluff’s Stirling Point, followed by a rally held outside the Invercargill City Council building at noon.
Mr Ferris said the reason why the protest started in Bluff and at Cape Reinga, was because the government wanted everyone to believe that the Treaty was not signed between the tangata whenua of Aotearoa and the Crown.
"They want to rewrite it to say that it was signed between all New Zealanders and the Crown. Now that's a pretty out-the-gate idea," he said.
