Just some additional facts for info nerds out there - Māori life expectancy is around 8 years less than non-Māori. We get some illnesses more often (e.g. bowel cancer), and some at about the same rate or even less (e.g. prostate cancer), but universally we die from them rather than surviving them because we don't receive the same standard of health care. Our percentage of the national health budget is less than 2%. We are incarcerated more often and for longer, esp when police use 'discretionary powers' to decide how to apply the law. Our kids are more frequently removed and less frequently returned to their whānau (families). However, with all that we have an infrastructure of extraordinary social services, running on the smell of an oily rag and cake stalls, and if you want to see some beautiful examples of performing arts and spiritual practices check out Matatini and Matariki. Like Emmy says, we're not going away. Ka whawhai tonu matou - the stuggle goes on.
I am tangata Tiriti, a term that is aspirational as much as it is political.
Tangata Tiriti - A person of Tiriti (The Treaty of Waitangi) committed to the ongoing fight for Māori self-sovereignty.
I was part of the hīkoi on Tuesday that walked from Waitangi Park to Parliament.
I was not counted amongst the thousands of people who returned to Waitangi Park for the continued celebration of unity after the hīkoi dispersed from Parliament, but I have since talked with many people who were - including those peoples who experienced Māori "hospitality" for the first time.
"We were so well fed and watered. We were so well looked after"
Aotearoa New Zealand is a multicultural country, Pākehā aren’t the only grouping brought together with Māori under Tiriti, our hīkoi was an expression of that understanding, of that commitment, of that unity.
👍💯And that's not to address the loss of opportunity through loss of land i.e. being illegally taken or ALLOWED to be taken by settlers & so-called "governments" since Te Tiriti was signed in good faith by the Maori occupants (who at the time far outnumbered the newcomers wanting to be allowed to settle in Aotearoa) .
i.e. During the "great Depression" when there was little work or social welfare, families who had no access to their land had nowhere to raise their own food (animals, crops, vegetables, fruit) to be self-sufficient & healthy. You have to wonder how much that deprivation also contributed to the children growing up then & their subsequent health issues.
Not to mention inter-generational poverty from loss of property rights. 🤷🖤❤️🤍
Such a powerful summary. Joining the hīkoi in peaceful protest on Tuesday was completely magnificent as we came together to object to racist and damaging "politics". Putting an international context around this reminds us even more why it is so important to maintain and cherish our relationship with Te Tiriti - because it is the very thing that protects our Māori people and in fact all of our people, from being at the whim of racist bigots with power, the sad and very real outcome for many nations around the world at the moment. Kia kaha ❤️
Thanks for the explanation and background, Dr. Rākete! I've watched the video of MP Maipi-Clarke leading the haka several times in the past week, and the power of it is palpable even through a screen... it absolutely was awe-inspiring. Even as a white American who knows little about Māori culture except what I've gleaned through pop culture mostly, it gave me chills and brought me to tears. And it’s so much more powerful after learning more of the context from a Māori person.
Thanks, David, for boosting Dr. Rākete's voice here. I'll be sharing this with friends and family to boost her voice further.
Great piece of writing. I'm less concerned with international ignorance than I am with local racism but the article addresses both. What a wonderful antidote Tuesday @ Parliament was But can we call it what it really is: The "Treaty Abolition Bill".
Tēnā kōrua, thank you both for the sensible angle on things. It’s been very different, seeing hordes of commenters from overseas comment in the misinformed dozens on every social post about the hīkoi or Hana-Rāwhiti’s haka. So many people who evidently heard about Moriori from a different Instagram comment who are now suddenly their biggest defender, in the name of delegitimising Māori and our cause, of course. And an incredible amount of people regurgitating the “you must be racist, who protests against equal rights?!” point which someone pointed out is becoming the ‘All lives matter’ equivalent. A waste of time, and shows a real lack of understanding.
Thanks for this. I don't know why I'm surprised to hear about Tate's response and all the backlash to the haka in parliament - you'd think I would be used to that kind of overt bigotry and racism by now. But it's another reminder of the bubble I live in that everything I've seen about it has been more along the lines of celebrating such a powerful example of embodied resistance (something I think we sadly lack in this country). I spent 6 weeks in New Zealand last year - and am going back for another month soon - and was struck by how integrated the Māori language seemed to be in so many places. To the outside observer, it appeared to be a partnership with an indigenous population that isn't really evidenced anywhere else in the world that I've been and I was inspired by it. Dr Rakete's piece is a reminder that a lot of that is an illusion, and the fight against colonization is ongoing. I will never understand why we try to oppress others instead of learning from each other and embracing our collective cultural wisdom.
It's interesting because people I've talked to (in the South Island, Te Wai Pounamu) see the hikoi as a sign of hope because it not only stands against the undermining of something of vital importance to our Country, but it also is (hopefully) the start of getting people mobilised to tell the COC* in Parliament we have had enough of the absolutely destructive policies they are enforcing to ruin the lives of everyone, pushing the already disadvantaged further down and ruining lives. The figures for those leaving Aotearoa is staggering, so many are up and off to somewhere not becoming a rich persons paradise.
I hope we can all join together and stand up against these bullies and the ignorance they wish to spread to get their own nefarious way.
I also remember after the Canterbury earthquakes when so many were done badly by the government, that local iwi were so supportive and said they would support people as they know how it feels to be done over by the powers that be. What a great moment of understanding! Really shows how generous our tangata whenua are.
The hikoi was amazing. I really hope people now don't become complacent. I hope they get flooded with submissions against this bill. I dont know anyone that is for it but when things don't directly effect people they tend not to put in an effort. So please fellow pakeha put pen to paper and politely tell Seymour where to shove his bill.
What has me particularly mad this morning was winston peters tweet yesterday about the hikoi been an astroturf of the maori party and the replies to it. Racists hate maori being successful, organized, rich and political but also criticize them for being unemployed, violent, poor and doing nothing for their own people. Anyway I could rant for days about peters and seymour. Thanks for the outlet here.
I don’t think I have ever been as proud of my country as I have in the last week when so many thousands of people joined the Hikoi across the Motu. Never in my lifetime have I witnessed such an outpouring of aroha and strength. And Hana’s Haka will live as a legendary moment in this country. As Tangata Tiriti I recognise my right to live in Aotearoa New Zealand comes from Te Tiriti so I stand in complete opposition to any attempts to repeal it or reinvent it. Make no mistake they want to remove it solely to get more access to resources by removing protections that currently exist under Te Tiriti. I also hope that we never have to see such protests again and that this leads to a true change in our society - one where we truly acknowledge and honour Te Tiriti. Toitū Te Tiriti al day every day.
The petition opposing the bill has more signatures than ACT got votes in the last election. We don't want Seymour's racist bill and we've come out in droves to tell him so. It's a beautiful thing ❤️ thank you for writing this, Dr Rākete and thank you for sharing this David ❤️
I’m not sure that Dr Rateke answers the main argument I’m seeing from who David calls “Brussel sprouts”.
It goes like this, Māori are protesting the bill which is trying to make all people equal. Now Americans will probably associate this with the MLK movement to fight for equality for African Americans in the USA, the key difference here is many African Americans were brought in as slaves and had no previous connection to the land or ownership or stewardship of its resources.
The argument for equality is a distraction as the main point here is Māori self determination. Of their people, selves, lands and resources. The English would be allowed to govern their people and free to purchase lands from the local population. An oversimplification but it’s a start.
So the Māori have been in NZ along time, have been continually fighting over prized lands for their different tribes and have a very advanced understanding of trading and fighting.
When the British arrived they were unable to bend the Māori to their will and found them a formidable force.
The situation in NZ was becoming a bit of a powder keg with shady characters advertising and selling portions of land back in England for people to buy and move over to NZ and live. Parts of the country were living and working well together with many Māori working and trading very successfully with the English, whaling boats and other settlers. Other parts were being fought over and some Māori would ally with English to defeat an old enemy. So the English came up with the idea of a treaty to calm things down and to assert its authority.
The two versions of the document were toured around the country, explained and signed. The two documents differ due to language differences and phrasing as Dr Rateke explained.
However for me the best part of the treaty is that it exists and allows us to refer to it and move forward with mending those differences.
Much of the Māori lands were taken unlawfully, following this there was the full awfulness of colonisation, oppression of culture, banning language, taking children into state care where they were beaten, raped and forced to work. Also not allowing Māori to fully participate in society, voting, sitting on boards, governance etc.
Māori aren’t seeking equality, at present they “have” this, however the last 150 years of repression have put them far behind the start line and stripped them of the assets they never gave away.
Māori are seeking redress of the failures to honour the document that was signed. That’s not about being equal.
So for me Māori aren’t arguing against equality, they are arguing against putting into parliament a document that would over rule the treaty and void all the things Māori did agree to. Making everyone equal about 150 years too late.
NZ has been slowly working through the conflicts in the treaty to make good on its agreements between the crown (England) and Māori.
PS
Andrew Tate is the horse shit that those Brussel sprouts are growing from.
Absolutely Jimmy. It’s about the fact that there is only one treaty, Te Tiriti, (the only treaty, there are not two) and the other issues are as you state correctly, self determination because no sovereignty was ceded but also equity not equality. This last bit is so important because it can sound quite reasonable to say it’s about ‘equality’. Equity is different to equality and to demand equality now is to double down on further disadvantage to an already disadvantaged people. It is crucial that anyone engaging understands the difference between equity and equality.
Exactly right. There is only one treaty - Te Tiriti o Waitangi. My understanding is that a week or two after the initial signing meeting and sending out of copies of te Tiriti (in te reo Māori), Hobson had a need of an additional copy to send out. He cobbled together a new version from his notes in te reo Pākehā (English) and passed it off as sufficiently similar to the original, though the differences were significant and consequential. In a cruel and colonialist twist, the 'English version' was assumed and then legislated (via the law establishing the waitangi tribunal) to sit alongside the original. The tribunal is forced to consider them both even though the English version was made after the fact and by only one of the parties to the contract. International and contract law would say the original version is the only one that is legally sound.
It's a crying shame that the lie crept into the history taught (when anything was actually taught) and even our national museum Te Papa had both versions displayed as equals for years until protesters took to it recently with an angle grinder. Bloody good on them I say.
Sorry this got a bit long... And I hope someone will correct any errors as I am far from expert.
In Aotearoa New Zealand we have a tribunal that is charged with the legal responsibility of listening to land claims and making recommendations to the Crown.
The Waitangi Tribunal.
Māori do in fact have a set of special rights that are explicit in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and so those rights are therfore embedded in our country's constitution.
Moana Jackson schools Gerry Brownlee in 2005 during this nationwide televised debate on Foreshore and Seabed.
Brownlee a National Party (conservation) MP is currently Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives.
Moana Jackson CRSNZ was a New Zealand lawyer specialising in constitutional law, the Treaty of Waitangi and international indigenous issues. He was an advocate and activist for Māori rights. He died in 2022.
Being part of the Hikoi last Tuesday was a magnificent experience, unrepeatable. Seymour is a fascist practicing from the Trump and ilk fascist playbook, he’s a sad little man. He and his fellow bumblers will not overcome nor will their sycophantic acolytes. We will prevail!
I read this and even though a lot of what's happening out there is scary and wrong I feel myself relax, because Dr Rakete is saying something informed, sane and real, also educational, which is not something I'm reading a lot of. THANK YOU.
Being online often feels like an unsafe place when you’re Māori. And I’m sure that’s also been the experience for a lot of people from marginalised groups, and people with empathy that extends beyond their own in-groups. It can feel like a place where people who only have empathy for their own in-groups thrive.
But for me the hīkoi was the antidote to that feeling. I spent a lot of time on Tuesday looking at the people around me and it filled my heart to see the diversity. Obviously, a lot of us were Māori but it was so validating to look around and see people from all different walks of life, there supporting our kaupapa.
The internet is filled with people who lack empathy (and because of that, I would argue, also lack critical thinking). In Aotearoa you can often find them punching down at r/ConservativeKiwi. But the hīkoi reaffirmed for me that we’re not alone and there are people with empathy who will have our backs, in the same way we’ll have theirs.
Brilliant and searing writing (as always!) from Emmy. I laughed so hard I nearly spat out my coffee in places ("some of us are actually effete neurotic internet transsexuals" had me in fits) and a great explainer for folk overseas. Latest head count from those who accurately count such things is that there was (at minimum!) 84,000 people there on Tuesday. A stunning show of solidarity.
I've loved reading this feedback to Emmy's piece. Thanks for taking the time, everyone.
Emmy rocks!! Ngā mihi cuz.
Just some additional facts for info nerds out there - Māori life expectancy is around 8 years less than non-Māori. We get some illnesses more often (e.g. bowel cancer), and some at about the same rate or even less (e.g. prostate cancer), but universally we die from them rather than surviving them because we don't receive the same standard of health care. Our percentage of the national health budget is less than 2%. We are incarcerated more often and for longer, esp when police use 'discretionary powers' to decide how to apply the law. Our kids are more frequently removed and less frequently returned to their whānau (families). However, with all that we have an infrastructure of extraordinary social services, running on the smell of an oily rag and cake stalls, and if you want to see some beautiful examples of performing arts and spiritual practices check out Matatini and Matariki. Like Emmy says, we're not going away. Ka whawhai tonu matou - the stuggle goes on.
I am tangata Tiriti, a term that is aspirational as much as it is political.
Tangata Tiriti - A person of Tiriti (The Treaty of Waitangi) committed to the ongoing fight for Māori self-sovereignty.
I was part of the hīkoi on Tuesday that walked from Waitangi Park to Parliament.
I was not counted amongst the thousands of people who returned to Waitangi Park for the continued celebration of unity after the hīkoi dispersed from Parliament, but I have since talked with many people who were - including those peoples who experienced Māori "hospitality" for the first time.
"We were so well fed and watered. We were so well looked after"
Aotearoa New Zealand is a multicultural country, Pākehā aren’t the only grouping brought together with Māori under Tiriti, our hīkoi was an expression of that understanding, of that commitment, of that unity.
Tuesday really was a perfect day.
Toitū te Tiriti ❤️ 🤍 🖤
My comment is written in a deliberate "explaining" way only to clarify for those who are not from / familiar with Aotearoa.
Kia ora Sarah
👍💯And that's not to address the loss of opportunity through loss of land i.e. being illegally taken or ALLOWED to be taken by settlers & so-called "governments" since Te Tiriti was signed in good faith by the Maori occupants (who at the time far outnumbered the newcomers wanting to be allowed to settle in Aotearoa) .
i.e. During the "great Depression" when there was little work or social welfare, families who had no access to their land had nowhere to raise their own food (animals, crops, vegetables, fruit) to be self-sufficient & healthy. You have to wonder how much that deprivation also contributed to the children growing up then & their subsequent health issues.
Not to mention inter-generational poverty from loss of property rights. 🤷🖤❤️🤍
Such a powerful summary. Joining the hīkoi in peaceful protest on Tuesday was completely magnificent as we came together to object to racist and damaging "politics". Putting an international context around this reminds us even more why it is so important to maintain and cherish our relationship with Te Tiriti - because it is the very thing that protects our Māori people and in fact all of our people, from being at the whim of racist bigots with power, the sad and very real outcome for many nations around the world at the moment. Kia kaha ❤️
Thanks for the explanation and background, Dr. Rākete! I've watched the video of MP Maipi-Clarke leading the haka several times in the past week, and the power of it is palpable even through a screen... it absolutely was awe-inspiring. Even as a white American who knows little about Māori culture except what I've gleaned through pop culture mostly, it gave me chills and brought me to tears. And it’s so much more powerful after learning more of the context from a Māori person.
Thanks, David, for boosting Dr. Rākete's voice here. I'll be sharing this with friends and family to boost her voice further.
Great piece of writing. I'm less concerned with international ignorance than I am with local racism but the article addresses both. What a wonderful antidote Tuesday @ Parliament was But can we call it what it really is: The "Treaty Abolition Bill".
Tēnā kōrua, thank you both for the sensible angle on things. It’s been very different, seeing hordes of commenters from overseas comment in the misinformed dozens on every social post about the hīkoi or Hana-Rāwhiti’s haka. So many people who evidently heard about Moriori from a different Instagram comment who are now suddenly their biggest defender, in the name of delegitimising Māori and our cause, of course. And an incredible amount of people regurgitating the “you must be racist, who protests against equal rights?!” point which someone pointed out is becoming the ‘All lives matter’ equivalent. A waste of time, and shows a real lack of understanding.
Thanks for your words Tākuta Rākete. Mauri ora.
Thanks for this. I don't know why I'm surprised to hear about Tate's response and all the backlash to the haka in parliament - you'd think I would be used to that kind of overt bigotry and racism by now. But it's another reminder of the bubble I live in that everything I've seen about it has been more along the lines of celebrating such a powerful example of embodied resistance (something I think we sadly lack in this country). I spent 6 weeks in New Zealand last year - and am going back for another month soon - and was struck by how integrated the Māori language seemed to be in so many places. To the outside observer, it appeared to be a partnership with an indigenous population that isn't really evidenced anywhere else in the world that I've been and I was inspired by it. Dr Rakete's piece is a reminder that a lot of that is an illusion, and the fight against colonization is ongoing. I will never understand why we try to oppress others instead of learning from each other and embracing our collective cultural wisdom.
It's interesting because people I've talked to (in the South Island, Te Wai Pounamu) see the hikoi as a sign of hope because it not only stands against the undermining of something of vital importance to our Country, but it also is (hopefully) the start of getting people mobilised to tell the COC* in Parliament we have had enough of the absolutely destructive policies they are enforcing to ruin the lives of everyone, pushing the already disadvantaged further down and ruining lives. The figures for those leaving Aotearoa is staggering, so many are up and off to somewhere not becoming a rich persons paradise.
I hope we can all join together and stand up against these bullies and the ignorance they wish to spread to get their own nefarious way.
I also remember after the Canterbury earthquakes when so many were done badly by the government, that local iwi were so supportive and said they would support people as they know how it feels to be done over by the powers that be. What a great moment of understanding! Really shows how generous our tangata whenua are.
*COC coalition of chaos, also a pack of c*cks.
The hikoi was amazing. I really hope people now don't become complacent. I hope they get flooded with submissions against this bill. I dont know anyone that is for it but when things don't directly effect people they tend not to put in an effort. So please fellow pakeha put pen to paper and politely tell Seymour where to shove his bill.
What has me particularly mad this morning was winston peters tweet yesterday about the hikoi been an astroturf of the maori party and the replies to it. Racists hate maori being successful, organized, rich and political but also criticize them for being unemployed, violent, poor and doing nothing for their own people. Anyway I could rant for days about peters and seymour. Thanks for the outlet here.
I think a lot of Pakeha are disengaged and see it as a “Maori” thing. The thing is, the Treaty protects all we hold dear.
It will affect everyone.
If the Bill gets passed, the government will sell everything to the highest bidder.
They’ve already proven that’s their goal, and many MP’s and the PM have serious conflicts of interest, and no integrity.
Fuckers….
Great comment
I don’t think I have ever been as proud of my country as I have in the last week when so many thousands of people joined the Hikoi across the Motu. Never in my lifetime have I witnessed such an outpouring of aroha and strength. And Hana’s Haka will live as a legendary moment in this country. As Tangata Tiriti I recognise my right to live in Aotearoa New Zealand comes from Te Tiriti so I stand in complete opposition to any attempts to repeal it or reinvent it. Make no mistake they want to remove it solely to get more access to resources by removing protections that currently exist under Te Tiriti. I also hope that we never have to see such protests again and that this leads to a true change in our society - one where we truly acknowledge and honour Te Tiriti. Toitū Te Tiriti al day every day.
The petition opposing the bill has more signatures than ACT got votes in the last election. We don't want Seymour's racist bill and we've come out in droves to tell him so. It's a beautiful thing ❤️ thank you for writing this, Dr Rākete and thank you for sharing this David ❤️
I’m not sure that Dr Rateke answers the main argument I’m seeing from who David calls “Brussel sprouts”.
It goes like this, Māori are protesting the bill which is trying to make all people equal. Now Americans will probably associate this with the MLK movement to fight for equality for African Americans in the USA, the key difference here is many African Americans were brought in as slaves and had no previous connection to the land or ownership or stewardship of its resources.
The argument for equality is a distraction as the main point here is Māori self determination. Of their people, selves, lands and resources. The English would be allowed to govern their people and free to purchase lands from the local population. An oversimplification but it’s a start.
So the Māori have been in NZ along time, have been continually fighting over prized lands for their different tribes and have a very advanced understanding of trading and fighting.
When the British arrived they were unable to bend the Māori to their will and found them a formidable force.
The situation in NZ was becoming a bit of a powder keg with shady characters advertising and selling portions of land back in England for people to buy and move over to NZ and live. Parts of the country were living and working well together with many Māori working and trading very successfully with the English, whaling boats and other settlers. Other parts were being fought over and some Māori would ally with English to defeat an old enemy. So the English came up with the idea of a treaty to calm things down and to assert its authority.
The two versions of the document were toured around the country, explained and signed. The two documents differ due to language differences and phrasing as Dr Rateke explained.
However for me the best part of the treaty is that it exists and allows us to refer to it and move forward with mending those differences.
Much of the Māori lands were taken unlawfully, following this there was the full awfulness of colonisation, oppression of culture, banning language, taking children into state care where they were beaten, raped and forced to work. Also not allowing Māori to fully participate in society, voting, sitting on boards, governance etc.
Māori aren’t seeking equality, at present they “have” this, however the last 150 years of repression have put them far behind the start line and stripped them of the assets they never gave away.
Māori are seeking redress of the failures to honour the document that was signed. That’s not about being equal.
So for me Māori aren’t arguing against equality, they are arguing against putting into parliament a document that would over rule the treaty and void all the things Māori did agree to. Making everyone equal about 150 years too late.
NZ has been slowly working through the conflicts in the treaty to make good on its agreements between the crown (England) and Māori.
PS
Andrew Tate is the horse shit that those Brussel sprouts are growing from.
Absolutely Jimmy. It’s about the fact that there is only one treaty, Te Tiriti, (the only treaty, there are not two) and the other issues are as you state correctly, self determination because no sovereignty was ceded but also equity not equality. This last bit is so important because it can sound quite reasonable to say it’s about ‘equality’. Equity is different to equality and to demand equality now is to double down on further disadvantage to an already disadvantaged people. It is crucial that anyone engaging understands the difference between equity and equality.
Exactly right. There is only one treaty - Te Tiriti o Waitangi. My understanding is that a week or two after the initial signing meeting and sending out of copies of te Tiriti (in te reo Māori), Hobson had a need of an additional copy to send out. He cobbled together a new version from his notes in te reo Pākehā (English) and passed it off as sufficiently similar to the original, though the differences were significant and consequential. In a cruel and colonialist twist, the 'English version' was assumed and then legislated (via the law establishing the waitangi tribunal) to sit alongside the original. The tribunal is forced to consider them both even though the English version was made after the fact and by only one of the parties to the contract. International and contract law would say the original version is the only one that is legally sound.
It's a crying shame that the lie crept into the history taught (when anything was actually taught) and even our national museum Te Papa had both versions displayed as equals for years until protesters took to it recently with an angle grinder. Bloody good on them I say.
Sorry this got a bit long... And I hope someone will correct any errors as I am far from expert.
👍💯Was just about to say that! EQUITY is different from EQUALITY... 🤷
In Aotearoa New Zealand we have a tribunal that is charged with the legal responsibility of listening to land claims and making recommendations to the Crown.
The Waitangi Tribunal.
Māori do in fact have a set of special rights that are explicit in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and so those rights are therfore embedded in our country's constitution.
Moana Jackson schools Gerry Brownlee in 2005 during this nationwide televised debate on Foreshore and Seabed.
Brownlee a National Party (conservation) MP is currently Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives.
Moana Jackson CRSNZ was a New Zealand lawyer specialising in constitutional law, the Treaty of Waitangi and international indigenous issues. He was an advocate and activist for Māori rights. He died in 2022.
https://youtu.be/fvP6HEFQIkQ?feature=shared
Being part of the Hikoi last Tuesday was a magnificent experience, unrepeatable. Seymour is a fascist practicing from the Trump and ilk fascist playbook, he’s a sad little man. He and his fellow bumblers will not overcome nor will their sycophantic acolytes. We will prevail!
I read this and even though a lot of what's happening out there is scary and wrong I feel myself relax, because Dr Rakete is saying something informed, sane and real, also educational, which is not something I'm reading a lot of. THANK YOU.
Being online often feels like an unsafe place when you’re Māori. And I’m sure that’s also been the experience for a lot of people from marginalised groups, and people with empathy that extends beyond their own in-groups. It can feel like a place where people who only have empathy for their own in-groups thrive.
But for me the hīkoi was the antidote to that feeling. I spent a lot of time on Tuesday looking at the people around me and it filled my heart to see the diversity. Obviously, a lot of us were Māori but it was so validating to look around and see people from all different walks of life, there supporting our kaupapa.
The internet is filled with people who lack empathy (and because of that, I would argue, also lack critical thinking). In Aotearoa you can often find them punching down at r/ConservativeKiwi. But the hīkoi reaffirmed for me that we’re not alone and there are people with empathy who will have our backs, in the same way we’ll have theirs.
👍🫂And there were 100,000's of us who were there in spirit with you, and/or were gathered in our own spaces as a show of support 💪🖤🤍❤️
Brilliant and searing writing (as always!) from Emmy. I laughed so hard I nearly spat out my coffee in places ("some of us are actually effete neurotic internet transsexuals" had me in fits) and a great explainer for folk overseas. Latest head count from those who accurately count such things is that there was (at minimum!) 84,000 people there on Tuesday. A stunning show of solidarity.
Hey Bex!! This is my only social media now, and it was so cool to read Emmy's words here.