The demonstrators oppose a law that would reshape the country's founding treaty between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown.

The Treaty Principles Bill was introduced by David Seymour, leader of the right-wing ACT New Zealand Party ... aisle and thousands of Indigenous and non-Indigenous New Zealanders, with critics saying it could undermine the rights of the Māori.

A nine-day march by Maori and their supporters culminated in a massive protest in Wellington on November 19, 2024, against the Treaty Principles Bill. The bill seeks to reinterpret the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi,

A proposed bill would revise the country's foundational treaty with Maori people and is hugely unpopular. Here's what to know.

Police estimated that over 15,000 people were marching towards parliament, with 2,000 already gathered at the parliamentary precinct.

Booming Indigenous Maori "haka" chants rang out across New Zealand's capital on Tuesday, as tens of thousands rallied against a conservative push to redefine the nation's founding treaty. Protests have been swelling throughout New Zealand after a minor party in the conservative coalition government drafted a bill to redefine the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi.

The Treaty Principles Bill was introduced earlier this month by legislators who want to reinterpret a 184-year-old treaty signed between the British and Indigenous Maori.

Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, the protest, started in the far north of the country nine days ago and made its way to the capital after traveling the entire of the North Island.

By Lucy Craymer and Lewis Jackson WELLINGTON (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of New Zealanders rallied before parliament on Tuesday in one of the country's largest ever protests to oppose a bill that opponents say seeks to dilute the rights of Maori and threatens to set race relations back decades.