A horseback hīkoi carrying a petition to protect Te Tiriti o Waitangi is making its way to Parliament, as Ngāti Kahungunu takes its concerns over proposed changes to Treaty references in legislation directly to the heart of political power.
The journey began at Waimārama and is travelling through the Ngāti Kahungunu takiwā before crossing the Remutaka Range and heading into Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Led by Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated chair Bayden Barber, the riders are carrying a petition calling on Parliament not to remove, weaken or amend references to Te Tiriti principles in New Zealand legislation.
HORSES CARRY A POLITICAL MESSAGE
The decision to travel by horseback is deliberately symbolic.
When farmers have wanted governments to hear their concerns, tractors have been driven into political protests. Ngāti Kahungunu is using horses to carry the message of tangata whenua to Parliament.
Around 30 horses from Hawke’s Bay were initially expected to participate, with other riders and supporters invited to join different stages of the journey.
But behind the spectacle is a serious constitutional argument.
Ngāti Kahungunu is challenging the coalition Government’s review of Treaty provisions across existing legislation and wants stronger protection for the continuing place of Te Tiriti in the laws of Aotearoa.
A JOURNEY THROUGH TE TIRITI HISTORY
The route itself carries considerable whakapapa.
Waimārama is connected to Harawira Mahikai Te Tātere, a Ngāti Kurukuru rangatira and ancestor of Barber who signed Te Tiriti at Waipūreku in 1840.
The journey also connects with places associated with other Ngāti Kahungunu signatories, including Te Hāpuku Te Ika-nui-o-Te-Moana and Hoani Waikato.
Riders are travelling through communities including Havelock North, Hastings, Te Hauke, Waipawa, Waipukurau, Rākautātahi, Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua and Te Whakaoriori before heading across the Remutaka into Te Awakairangi and ultimately Parliament.
It means the riders are not simply travelling south.
They are following whenua carrying generations of history connecting Ngāti Kahungunu to Te Tiriti.
TREATY CLAUSES AT THE CENTRE OF THE FIGHT
The protest comes as the Government continues work reviewing references to the Treaty and Treaty principles across legislation.
The review originates from the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement and includes consideration of whether some Treaty references should be replaced with more specific wording or removed.
Cabinet has also agreed to changes affecting the strength of some statutory Treaty obligations, including moving some requirements from giving effect to Te Tiriti or its principles to a lower threshold of taking them into account.
The Waitangi Tribunal has strongly criticised the reforms and recommended that the Government pause the work, while Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has rejected the call to stop the process.
The legislation is not expected to pass before the 7 November election, leaving its eventual fate in the hands of the next Parliament.
FROM THE HORSEBACK TO THE BALLOT BOX
The hīkoi is therefore carrying another message — political participation.
Barber wants the journey to encourage Māori to vote, particularly rangatahi and whānau who may otherwise feel disconnected from electoral politics.
With Treaty legislation, the future of the Waitangi Tribunal and the wider Crown-Māori relationship emerging as significant election issues, the composition of the next Parliament could directly determine what happens next.
The timing also coincides with Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, drawing a connection with the historic 1972 Māori language petition that gathered more than 30,000 signatures calling for te reo Māori to be taught in schools.
PETITION HEADS FOR PARLIAMENT
The riders are expected to complete their journey at Parliament, where the petition is to be presented to Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel before being taken into the House.
Other iwi riders have also been invited to join the final leg into Te Whare Paremata.
The horseback hīkoi comes as the wider political argument over Te Tiriti intensifies. ACT has separately proposed ending the Waitangi Tribunal’s contemporary jurisdiction and ultimately disestablishing it once eligible historical claims are completed.
For Ngāti Kahungunu, the journey represents a direct response to that wider political environment.
From Waimārama to Parliament, horses are carrying a petition through communities whose connection with Te Tiriti stretches back to 1840.
Nearly two centuries later, the message heading into the Beehive is that Te Tiriti is not simply history — its descendants are still prepared to ride hundreds of kilometres to defend its place in the future of Aotearoa.
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