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Overview
This photograph was taken on the morning of the last day of the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, on 19 November 2024.
It was one of many taken by Te Papa photographers to document the diversity of people, imagery and messaging on the Hīkoi. They captured images as people gathered at Waitangi Park in the early morning and the march of thousands of protesters along city streets to Parliament grounds where politicians were gathered and speeches took place.
This particular photograph shows a young woman holding a Tino Rangatiratanga flag aloft on the Wellington waterfront. The back of her shirt is printed with four flags showing solidarity with indigenous peoples elsewhere in the world fighting for their land and rights: the Palestine flag, the Kanaka Maoli flag (Hawaii), and the Aboriginal flag (Australia).
Background
The Hīkoi was in response to the ACT Party's controversial Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill released in 2024. The recently-founded group Toitū te Tiriti called for a Hīkoi which began in Te Kāo, Northland, on 10 November, finishing in Wellington on Tuesday 19 November, where more than 42,000 people marched from Waitangi Park to Parliament grounds to protest against the Bill (1).
Afterwards, over 300,000 submissions on the bill were received by Parliament, with 90 percent opposed to it. The bill was voted down in Parliament on its second reading on 10 April 2025 (112 noes to 11 ayes) (2). Every party except for ACT voted against it.
References:
(1) McCaull, A. (20 Nov 2024). 'What's good for Māori is good for everyone' - hīkoi ends with peaceful protest. RNZ News (online).
(2) RNZ (11 April 2025). Celebrations at defeat of divisive Treaty Principles Bill. RNZ News (online).