New Zealand: Thousands Protest In Wellington Over Maori Rights

Tens of thousands of people gathered outside Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on Tuesday, November 19, as part of a nine-day 'hikoi' protest advocating for the rights of indigenous Maori people and opposing a proposed bill to reinterpret the 19th-century Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and the Maori.

NEW ZEALAND-WELLINGTON-WAITANGI DAY

NEW ZEALAND-WELLINGTON-WAITANGI DAY

(230207) -- WELLINGTON, Feb. 7, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Waka paddlers take part in a Waitangi Day commemoration event in Wellington, New Zealand, Feb. 6, 2023. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoqing/Xinhua)

NEW ZEALAND-WELLINGTON-WAITANGI DAY

NEW ZEALAND-WELLINGTON-WAITANGI DAY

(230207) -- WELLINGTON, Feb. 7, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Waka paddlers take part in a Waitangi Day commemoration event in Wellington, New Zealand, Feb. 6, 2023. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoqing/Xinhua)

Waitangi Day ceremony held in Wellington to mark foundation treaty

STORY: Waitangi Day ceremony held in Wellington to mark foundation treaty DATELINE: Feb. 7, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:29 LOCATION: Wellington CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the waka ceremony to celebrate New Zealand's Waitangi Day STORYLINE: The Wellington City Council held a waka (canoe) ceremony on Monday to celebrate New Zealand's Waitangi Day. The waka is the highest type of Maori canoe, always of large size, and adorned with carved designs, paint, and feathers in an elaborate manner. It has become a symbol of Maori unity and pride in "Waitangi Day" remembrances. In the morning, 20 Maori "warriors" dressing in traditional festive costumes rowed a large waka through the waters of Wellington city center, attracting many citizens to stop and watch. The Treaty of Waitangi takes its name from the place in the Bay of Islands where it was first signed on Feb. 6, 1840, by representatives of the British Crown and Maori chiefs, which allowed the then British government to gain the sole right to purchase l