New Zealand: Thousands Protest Govt's Indigenous Policies

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Facts

  • Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of New Zealand's cities on Tuesday, including its capital Wellington, to protest against the government's plan to reverse a number of indigenous policies.1
  • Organized by the indigenous political party Te Pāti Māori as part of 'National Māori Action Day,' the protests were described as 'a push-back' against the New Zealand government's 'anti-Māori' approach.2
  • The newly elected conservative-led coalition government will review the Treaty of Waitangi — made between Māori chiefs and British colonial rulers in 1840 — as well as the Māori Health Authority, a statutory agency that ensures the New Zealand health system meets Māori needs.3
  • Tuesday also entailed New Zealand's Commission Opening of Parliament, with lawmakers swearing an oath to King Charles III. However, several Māori officials reportedly recited informal oaths to the Treaty of Waitangi and Māori customs.4
  • While Te Pāti Māori's co-leader, Rawiri Waititi, has accused Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's administration of attempting to take New Zealand 'back to the 1800s,' Luxon has stated that his government is 'deeply committed to improving outcomes for Māori and non-Māori people.'5
  • According to official data, indigenous Māori communities represent about 16.5% of the national population, suffer high rates of poverty, and constitute more than 50% of prison inmates.2

Sources: 1BBC News, 2VOA, 3Associated Press, 4National Indigenous Times and 5ABC News.

Narratives

  • Right narrative, as provided by The BFD. Under current circumstances, the first legislative priority should be New Zealand's economy, but the Māori-driven media witch hunt continues to focus on policies such as the government's preferred use of the English language. The newly-elected government hasn't set out to destroy indigenous culture, but rather to improve the country as a whole while providing an equal platform for all citizens based upon a democratic mandate. Frenzied protests wound up by unfounded claims of institutional racism will not solve the nation's current, pressing issues.
  • Left narrative, as provided by The Guardian. Luxon and his right-wing coalition are threatening to tamper with the Treaty of Waitangi, the original source of Māori rights within the modern state of New Zealand. While the country is already struggling with deep and broad inequalities between the indigenous and white populations, undermining such a key Māori pillar would be a further step in attacking the very essence of New Zealand itself.