Thousands of protesters took to the squares, bridges and Parliament of New Zealand this Tuesday (Monday in Brazil) to protest against new government policies, considered racist. The protest was called by the Te Pati Maori party and coincides with the inauguration of the country’s 54th legislature, which will take place on the same day. “This is not a protest, it is an activation,” said party co-leader Rawiri Waititi to protesters in the city of Wellington. “Make our voices heard, let your voices fly and be proud to be who we are today.” The new center-right government of the National Party, New Zealand First and ACTION New Zealand was elected last month. Among the coalition parties’ plans is to reduce the use of the Maori language, review affirmative action policies and evaluate how the nation’s founding document is interpreted in legislation. In Wellington, protesters marched to Parliament. In Auckland, they reduced vehicle traffic on the city’s roads and, in other places, they gathered to protest and hold banners. New Zealand police said there was disruption to vehicle traffic, but that the protests were peaceful and no one was arrested. Kathy Hughes, 31, said she went to Wellington early to take part in the march because of concerns about what the new government wanted to do.
“I care a lot about the Kaupapa (principle), (I’m) concerned about a lot of things with the new government and a lot of the changes,” Hughes said. David Seymour, leader of ACTION New Zealand, said in a statement that the protest was theatrical and that citizens just want the government to fix the problems facing the country.
By Lucy Craymer