Eru Kapa-Kingi, the spearhead of te Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, has proclaimed “the Māori nation has been born” today.
He spoke in front of a crowd of more than 42,000 in and around Parliament grounds today, all there to support the hīkoi he began nine days ago at te Herenga Wairua.
He beckoned the crowd to “live in this moment, appreciate this moment, and appreciate our power,” saying the hīkoi was “not a reaction. This is a response.”
“This is a rangatira response.”
He said he was proud of every single person who took the time to stand up against the Treaty Principles Bill.
“It’s up to us whether this moment dissipates after today, or whether it lives forever.”
“Toitū te Tiriti ki te ake ake. Te Tiriti is forever.”
He also said “this hīkoi doesn’t end here.”
At one point, Kapa-Kingi’s speech was disrupted by impromptu fireworks which seemed to startle some in the crowd.
“Every single one of you who joined this march today, I hope you realise what you have committed to today. You have committed to a future where we revert back to the reality of our rangatira.
“I hope you all realise in this moment committed to a journey of liberation, to a future where we are the captains of our own waka, where we shape our own destinies.”