Photos: Thousands protest for Maori rights over NZ bill to reinterpret Indigenous treaty

Tens of thousands of New Zealanders have marched on parliament in the capital Wellington on Tuesday to protest at a proposed law that seeks to alter the country’s constitutional foundations.

Opponents of the contentious bill, which has sparked widespread anger, say it would reinterpret New Zealand’s 184-year-old founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, and dilute Indigenous Maori rights.

March for the Treaty of Waitangi - known by Maori as Hīkoi mō te Tiriti - began at the top of the north island nine days ago. It made its way over 800 kilometers through cities and towns to reach Wellington.

One of the biggest protests in New Zealand history, led by Maori and with the support of diverse ethnicities and cultures, presented a petition signed by more than 200,000 people to parliament to “kill the bill”.

Among those protesting was the Maori Queen Nga wai hono i te po.

Maori and their supporters say the bill undermines the rights of the country's Indigenous people, who make up about 20% of the New Zealand population of 5.3 million.

The controversial bill itself is doomed to fail, only passing its first reading because of an agreement between the three coalition partners that make up New Zealand’s center-right government. 

Two of the partners have said they will withdraw their support on a second reading.

The junior coalition partner, the ACT party, promised the bill during last year's election, arguing it aims to promote equality by limiting the influence of the treaty in public life.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has repeatedly said his National Party, the senior coalition member, will not vote for the bill at the second reading, when it next returns to the House. Junior coalition partner New Zealand First party will also oppose it.

The NZ opposition leader Chris Hipkins has said the bill is dividing the country and fears it will stoke racism.

The bill passed its first reading last Thursday, despite parliament being disrupted for the first time ever by a Māori ceremonial dance, or haka.

Video of the dance, led by Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, has been viewed on social media by tens of millions of people around the world.

The treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 between the British and 500 Māori chiefs, laying the foundations of how New Zealand would be governed. The interpretation of the historic document still guides legislation and policy to this day.