Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po will be among the thousands anticipated to march at parliament protesting the Treaty Principles bill, Te Tari o te Kiingitanga has announced.
In a statement on Sunday night, Kiingitanga spokesperson Ngira Simmonds said they “stand ready to support the nation in a way that uplifts Kotahitanga and mana motuhake”.
“Te Arikinui has a message of hope for the nation and for us to come together to work through our current divisions.”
Earlier this year, Kiingi Tuheitia, the predecessor and father of Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, called on te iwi Māori for the first hui ā-motu in Ngāruawāhia, with a message of kotahitanga.
That message has since reverberated across Aotearoa, with subsequent hui in Heretaunga and Ōtautahi, and a message now championed by the eighth Māori monarch.
“The Māori Queen is willing to help lead a conversation about nationhood and national unity but will not accept a unilateral process that undermines Te Tiriti o Waitangi," Simmonds said.
“The day for constitutional reform will come, but it must be done in good faith and in accordance with tikanga, and in full acknowledgement of the foundations of our nation bound together through Te Tiriti o Waitangi as Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti.”
“Our nation’s strength lies in honouring the promises we make to each other.”
Te Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived in Porirua last night, and will take a rest day before meeting in Wellington’s Waitangi Park on Tuesday morning ahead of its convergence on Parliament.
