What actually happened on May 30th

Protest at The Bridge of Remembrance. Source: Maia Aramakutu

Opinion Piece

If you have been keeping up with current events or the news in general, you would have seen that Te Pāti Māori called for a nation-wide activation on Thursday the 30th of May.  

The call was made on the 26th of May, just four days before the activation was set to take place. With Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiriti Waititi sharing in an Instagram post, “We are being attacked for being Māori’ so he asked people to strike “to prove the might of our economy by disconnecting entirely from it.” 

This post was followed up by the official social media page for Māori activations @toitu_te_tiriti posting on Instagram “We are being attacked for being Māori. This is what the rangatira revolution is about.” 

The call to action was for Tangata Whenua and Tangata Te Tiriti to strike for the day to attended one of the many activations that were happening across the motu.  

But why was the call to action set for the 30th of May? Well, it was budget day. 

Budget day is when the finance minister, currently Nicola Willis, shares how much money the government has, how the government plans to get more money, and how the government plans to spend the money.  

The decision to have the protest on budget day shared by Te Pāti Māori was to “protest the government’s policies affecting Māori.” This has been the reason for the number of Māori protests that have occurred across the country since the coalition government started their term in parliament.  

The call for action caused some controversy around whether it was illegal to strike during the week. 

With Labour leader Chris Hipkins in an interview to RNZ on May 28, adding that “I think in terms of any strikes, they need to be in the confines of the law, so there’s pretty clear law around when people can and can’t strike, it’s in context of bargaining – so I think people need to follow that”  

So, after watching the news and seeing that striking might be illegal on Thursday the 30th of May, I took a bus to the Bridge of Remembrance and joined the Ōtautahi hīkoi.   

The protest itself was peaceful, and only lasted an hour. During that hour there was haka and waiata performed by students from local high schools, chanting and speeches were given around the kaupapa of the protest.  

When I was there, I talked to others who had made the journey and asked why they decided to take the time to come to the protest.   

Protest goer Tyler Rowe said, “I went because I felt it as the best way to stand in solidarity with my people and express my Māoritanga in a way I haven’t before”. 

“The protest was a new experience for, but I really enjoyed it. Despite the reason for the protest, it was a positive atmosphere filled with waiata and good vibes.” 

Another protest goer Jacquelyn said that she went “as an indigenous person from Turtle Island [North America].” 

“I understand the outside pressure and threat that exists to be who we are Indigenous and Māori for being Māori,” she continued. 

“As a study abroad student I wanted to go as I know it is important to show up as an ally, as a body to illuminate ‘The Peoples’ voice. For me it is rooted in the peoples I come from, the Anishinabek and Odawa. Our people are connected to the land our way of life that creates a balanced way of being. This very same thing is what I have been fortunate enough to have witnessed with Māori relatives here.” 

“I choose to go as I understand the lived experience of displacement of land, language and culture; all of which has been used against my Peoples. For me I recognise once you understand this you will find it in you to show up. I pull strength from my ancestors every time I use my voice, just as I did during the nationwide activation.” 

And although the government said that it would be illegal to protest, the protests went down smoothly without a single arrest.  

This protest like the others that have happened in Aotearoa show that Māori will stand together to, in the words of Rawiri Waititi, “stop allowing the government to assume that they have sovereignty or mana over us”. 

Glossary  

Hīkoi – Walk, March, Step or Stride  

Kaupapa – Topic, Policy, Matter for discussion, Plan.  

Rangatira – Chief 

Motu – Island  

Tangata Tiriti – People of the treaty  

Tangata Whenua – People of the land  

Te Pāti Māori – The Māori Party  

Toitu te Tiriti – Honour the treaty