The Hikoi – the march to Parliament

Fr Tom Rouse (left) on the Hikoi march with the Catholic Peacemakers. Photo: Fr Tom Rouse

A week ago, I went on the hikoi, the march to Parliament.

I got up early that day, Tuesday, November 19, because we had been warned that many people would join the walk that day. The 6.30am train was full by the time we reached Wellington Railway station. Sitting beside the entrance to the station, while having a cup of coffee, I observed the crowds of people coming through. There were Maori wardens and others who were helping people to find their way to Waitangi Park.

Since I was very early, I wandered down to the park. There was a wonderful atmosphere among the crowd of young people and old, many carrying the Maori flag and wearing t-shirts with “Toitu te Tiriti” (Honour the Treaty) written on them.

I should briefly explain why I was taking part in this hikoi. On November 7, the leader of ACT party, David Seymour, tabled before Parliament what is called the Treaty Bill or “The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill”. It is quite short but highly contentious and dangerously divisive. This march was to show our opposition to this Bill. It is a misreading of history and a demeaning of the position of tangata whenua, the people of the land, Maori. So, we marched with Maori for the sake of the unity of our nation.

From the park, I walked up to St Mary of the Angels church, where a group of Catholics gathered with the vicar general of the Archdiocese of Wellington, Mons Gerry Burns, to pray before a picture entitled “Ko Hata Maria, te Matua Wahine o te Atua – Holy Mary, Mother of God”. This had been commissioned by the bishops as a way of dedicating Aotearoa-New Zealand to Mary’s protection during the recent Covid-19 pandemic crisis. It was an appropriate sacred place to gather and pray for all who were taking place in the hikoi and for our country’s leaders as they deal with this Treaty Bill.

From the church we wandered down to Waitangi Park. Because the Park was crowded, we gathered with many others in the car park beside Te Papa museum. Our Catholic group had a banner which read “Catholic Peacemakers”.

Although we had been told by the organisers that the march would start at 9.00, the first group didn’t begin walking until well after 9.30am. It was almost 10.00am before we began to move. There was a bottle neck at the bottom of Courtney Place because two or three lines of people were converging on the same intersection. By stops and starts we slowly made our way down Courtney Place to Willis Street. Despite the anger generated by this Treaty Bill, the atmosphere among the marchers was so peaceful and respectful.

As a long-time activist, I have taken part in a number of protest marches over the years. But this was, by far, the largest one I had ever been part of. The estimation varied from 35,000 to 42,000.

As the march made its way down Willis Street, only half a dozen remained behind our Catholic banner. In such a crowd it was hard to stay together. Speaking later to one of our group who got isolated, she spoke of meeting other people along the way and chatting about why they were on this march. There were many stories of families and groups who had chosen to make their voices heard, all sharing the same concerns.

By the time we got to Lambton Quay which led to Parliament grounds, we were barely moving, and it was obvious that not all of us were going to fit into the grounds. It was now after 12 noon and I, like others, chose to make my way back home. It had been a memorable occasion.

In the years to come, while my memory is still good, when people ask me about this hikoi, this march to Parliament, I will reply, “I am proud to say I was one of them.”

Fr Tom Rouse - Regional Councillor of Oceania, lives and works in Aotearoa/New Zealand.