Te Pāti Māori is calling on all Māori to strike on Thursday and participate in nationwide protests.
The Toitū Te Tiriti National Day of Action will feature “carkois,” where participants drive slowly across roadways to disrupt traffic during peak hours.Te Pāti Māori, also known as the Māori Party, is a political party in New Zealand advocating Māori rights, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Te Pāti Māori is encouraging all Māori to leave work and join the nearest hīkoi.
In Auckland, protesters will gather at motorway on-ramps in the north, south, and west of the city at 6:30 am.
Te Pāti Māori announced on social media that this is a “rangatira revolution.”
“We are being attacked for being Māori,” the party stated.
Traffic is expected to be heavily disrupted with protests planned on Auckland’s motorway network, along with marches and convoys in key transport areas nationwide.
Protests are planned for the following locations on Thursday:
- West Auckland: BP Hobsonville
- South Auckland: Z Petrol station
- North Auckland: Palmers Albany Garden Centre
- Central Auckland: Aotea Square
- Wellington: Mass hīkoi to Parliament
- Whangārei: Farmer’s car park
- Kaitāia: Commerce St
- Christchurch: Bridge of Remembrance
- Nelson: Church steps
- Dunedin: Queens Gardens
- Hamilton: Kirikiriroa Marae
- Matamata: Matamata Woolworths
- Te Puaha: Weraroa Marae
- Hauraki: Victoria Park
- Tūranganui a Kiwa: Heipipi Park
- Hastings: Hastings Clock Tower
- Wairarapa: Masterton Town Hall
- Hāwera: Hāwera Netball Courts
- Palmerston North: SH1
- Tokoroa: Leith Pl
- Tauranga: Whareroa Reserve
- Whakatāne: SH30
- Ōpōtiki: Waioweka bridge
- Taupō: Lake Terrace
- Tūrangi: Tūrangi town centre
- Rotorua: Lake Rd intersection, Old Taupō Rd, Fenton St, and Sala St
Last December, Te Pāti Māori organised a similar event that brought peak-hour traffic to a standstill.
Police reported that approximately 300 cars joined the Auckland protest, which was “peaceful and the vast majority of groups dispersed relatively quickly.”
In Wellington, 1000 protesters gathered on Parliament grounds, where Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer addressed the crowd.
Convoys began around 7 am in several cities, targeting traffic pressure points like Auckland’s Northern Motorway at Palmers Albany Garden Centre, Upper Harbour Motorway at Brigham Creek and Hobsonville Roads, and Southern Motorway at BP Bombay.
Further south, about 50 cars blocked the Waikato Expressway, causing a 3km traffic backlog with a “significant impact on traffic,” according to police.
Other gatherings of about 100 people each occurred in Hamilton, Whakatāne, Rotorua, Tokoroa, Taupō, and Palmerston North, with minimal disruption.
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