This week Māori are on the march. Starting from Cape Reinga at one end and Bluff at the other, tangata whenua will converge on parliament in a pincer movement of grievance and outrage over the Treaty Principles Bill. Or so will run the media narrative…In actuality, I imagine it will be the usual professional activists trying desperately to think up chants rhyming ‘David Seymour’ with four-letter words; the vast majority of Māori will be nowhere to be seen, having better things to do, like their jobs.
As a method of protest, hīkoi have drawbacks. They take a long time. An issue may have passed from the headlines into obscurity by the time most kaumātua have got their sandals on and decided to take the hāngī as a packed lunch. They also involve a lot of walking. This is not ideal for a race with a high rate of obesity. A brief protest march starting at the bottom of Queen St and proceeding to Aotea Square has the advantage that McDonald’s is in between.
