Hīkoi mō te Tiriti protester numbers are expected to swell as the demonstration reaches Rotorua today ahead of a protest in the city on Friday.

The hīkoi against the Act Party’s Treaty Principles Bill and other government policies impacting Māori set off from Northland on Sunday bound for Wellington.

Thousands of marchers were in Auckland on Wednesday and, after a stop in Waikato, protestors are expected to arrive in Rotorua on Thursday about 4pm for a pohiri at Apumoana Marae.

Friday’s protest is expected to start at the Rotorua Village Green at 10am and head along Fenton St to the Te Puia overflow carpark by about noon, where a car convoy would set off towards Heretaunga.

Act leader David Seymour has said he is open to meeting with hīkoi organisers in Wellington, but hīkoi organiser Eru Kapa-Kingi said that would be “pointless”.

The bill, which Seymour says promotes equal rights, is set to have its first reading today.

Te Pāti Māori vice-president Fallyn Flavell, a hīkoi organiser, told the Rotorua Daily Post that it was hard to say exactly how many people would arrive in Rotorua on Thursday as “numbers had fluctuated from place to place”.

The number expected to join the hīkoi march through Rotorua would depend on personal circumstances, weather and other factors.

“Our region has suffered significant losses over the last week, which has meant some of the hīkoi attendees have had to shift their priorities. "

Te Pāti Māori vice president Fallyn-Flavell at a Rotorua hīkoi in December last year. Photo / Laura Smith

Flavell said the purpose of the 2024 hīkoi was to “activate the nation” against the bill and show the kotahitanga (unity) of, firstly, Māori and, secondly, of the country as people stood together against the proposed changes.

“The Treaty Principles Bill serves no purpose in a country that’s leading the way for indigenous rights across the world.”

Visiting hīkoi participants would stay at marae across Rotorua.

Te Pāti Māori member Merepeka Raukawa-Tait said she was sure Rotorua would give the hīkoi a “warm and supportive” welcome to the city.

“I’ll be there with my flags flying to welcome them. I’ll also be travelling on to Wellington over the weekend,” she said.

“As our founding document, Te Tiriti of Waitangi played a significant part in the history of Aotearoa and, for many of us, that role is pivotal to our current and future prosperity.

“We do need to get it right but this discussion is too important to be left to politicians to kick around like a football.”

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait. Photo / Andrew Warner

Raukawa-Tait said there did not seem to be any major public clamouring for a referendum on the Treaty.

“I wouldn’t object to a wide and comprehensive Te Tiriti education programme but that is quite different to a referendum.”

She hoped to see many locals, both Māori and Pākehā, taking part in the Rotorua welcome and travelling down to Wellington.

“You can’t just leave it to Māori to continue to protect and honour Te Tiriti.

“All New Zealanders must be prepared to open their eyes and ears. Ignorance is no longer an acceptable excuse for letting a minor political party decide what’s good for our country and our futures.”

Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell. Photo / Laura Smith

Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said she had not yet been contacted by the hīkoi organisers as they focused on the proposed policy change, which she viewed as “disappointing and unnecessarily divisive”.

She expected many Rotorua locals would join the movement to show their support for “the founding document of our country, as well as the principles of partnership within it”.

“In Rotorua, we will be continuing our strong and beneficial relationship with our local iwi and hapu as we respect our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the valuable contribution of Māori to our past, present, and future.”

Seymour previously said in a press release the bill would not change the Treaty itself, only how it was interpreted in law.

“The purpose of the Treaty Principles Bill is for Parliament to define the principles of the Treaty, provide certainty and clarity, and promote a national conversation about their place in our constitutional arrangements.”

A map of the hīkoi.

Preparations for hīkoi’s arrival

A Rotorua Lakes Council spokesman said the council was co-ordinating with police and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency on traffic management related to the hīkoi.

It was also delivering flyers to businesses along the hīkoi notifying them of the anticipated disruptions as it travels up Fenton St.

A NZTA spokeswoman said the agency would be closely monitoring the impact of the hīkoi on the state highway network through its Traffic Operations Centres and receiving regular updates from the police to help plan this.

“We will provide real-time updates for road users on any delays or disruptions.”

Motorists were advised to check its online journey planner, traffic information pages and Waikato-Bay of Plenty social media pages before travelling.

Police said they had been communicating with the hīkoi organisers, monitoring the group of vehicles, and working with Waka Kotahi and local councils on traffic management, maintaining public safety and reducing disruptions to the community.

-Rotorua Dail Post.