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Protestors walk up Queen Street - Source: ONE News -
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As Auckland's central business district comes to a standstill, the Maori Party is optimistic a breakthrough on Maori seats on the super city council is close.
Thousands are marching up Queen Street towards the town hall and Aotea Square calling for special Maori-only seats on the super city council.
Earlier on Monday, cars and buses took to the streets, as the protest convoys converged on Victoria Park from all directions of Auckland.
People have been gathering since 5:30am and the mood has been described as festive, with people singing and chanting.
The Maori Party says it has put forward a proposal to Prime Minister John Key requesting two maori seats on the council, and believes the hikoi will promote the urgency of the proposal.
Commuters have been asked not to travel into the central
business district between 9.30am and 4pm, as around thousands of
people head into the city centre.
The hikoi is to protest the lack of Maori seats on the super city
council, and also the expected job cuts in the new structure.
MP Hone Harawira told Guyon Espiner on TVNZ's Q + A programme the hikoi has come about because Maori passionately want seats on the new council.
Hikoi organiser IHI (Iwi Have Influence) aims to reverse the government's decision to dump the seats, ensuring there are at least three Maori seats.
Harawira says having Maori seats in parliament "works fabulously
well" regardless of who is in power and it is an intelligent,
independent and very positive voice which can also work at the
local level.
Check out
what else MP Hone Harawira has to say about the hikoi on TVNZ's Q +
A programme.
Hikoi organiser Ngarimu Blair says that the goal was to "galvanise" Aucklanders in supporting the inclusion of Maori seats.
"(It's) also giving them a voice (for) their concerns about how their democratic rights are being ridden roughshod over through this very rushed process," Blair says.
He says the intention is not to inconvenience Aucklanders.
"That's why we have the hikoi at lunchtime. If we were aiming to cause disruption we would have had it at rush hour."
Hikoi path
The protestors will travel into the city from all four sides of
Auckland to meet at Victoria Park and at the Auckland Domain, where
the hikoi will then move up Queen Street to the Auckland town
hall.
Traffic delays are to be expected on the Harbour Bridge, North
Western motorway and State Highway one, while Queen Street will be
shut to traffic from midday.
Protestors will gather at Manukau City Council at 7.15am, West Harbour at 8am, Northcote and Bastion Point at 8.30am before heading into the central city.
Transport Agency regional director Wayne McDonald says people travelling to the airport should allow extra time for their journey.
Mayors join march
Three mayors are joining the march for Maori representation on Auckland's Super City.
Manukau mayor Len Brown is being accompanied by North Shore's Andrew Williams and Bob Harvey from Waitakere.
Brown says his council has been able to give tangata whenua a voice through its ward structure.
He says it's a critical element of governance, and why there are Maori seats in parliament.
Brown says it's important the Treaty of Waitangi is reflected in society through legislation to show respect for the tangata whenua.
The information you will need:
ONE News will have extensive live coverage of the hikoi in bulletins through the day and details of the effect it's having.
Also, you can check out the traffic congestion on our
Traffic Cams .
What do you think about the super city and how it is being
handled? Share your thoughts on the message board
below.
AND if you have pictures or video of the hikoi that you
would like to share with us you can do so by uploading them via
Your Cam or emailing
news@tvnz.co.nz
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Add a Comment:
Post new commentnztifosi said on 2009-09-04 @ 17:45 NZDT: Report abusive post
As a pakeha Aucklander I am very concerned that there will be no Maori seats - indeed I believe with such a diverse cultural mix there should also be room for Pacific or ethnic representation as well. Instead we are losing almost all meaningful representation in our city. As with the change to MMP - so should the supercity system go to a vote by all of Auckland - if not all of NZ. After all if they pass it here what is to stop them from deciding on a Southland or Wellington Supercity as well?
OneVoice said on 2009-07-14 @ 21:57 NZDT: Report abusive post
The new structure is still far from clear!. Are there going to be heads of main municipal functions appointed from the 20 councilors (like ministers in cetral govt) and each municipal function will be reposible for the greater Auckland regeon merged from the current seven different cities ?
AucklandAndrew said on 2009-07-14 @ 09:43 NZDT: Report abusive post
While co-ordination at a higher level is necessary, local governance should be grass-roots up, not top down. The proposal has fewer councilors per head of population than MPs, and the people who will be elected in will be the kinds of people who are rich and famous enough to get publicity, not the people who are right for Auckland - hardly democratic. Banks wants us to live off a loan from his rich buddies for the next 25 years, and pay them interest? No surprises there.
magrafil said on 2009-07-13 @ 22:55 NZDT: Report abusive post
bonds proposal interesting, whose going to invest, international funds will be wooed by US treasury notes (their unstable economy means potential for a bigger return), NZ investors surely don't have any money left after the property developers took their money and ran ... however, its a fairly good idea, interested he mentioned rail ... was that an anomoly, what Auckland authority actually wants to build transport infrastructure apart from motorways?
AnonymousJoe said on 2009-05-25 @ 16:01 NZDT: Report abusive post
I think that a Moari only seat is racist. Seriously, does this mean that Maori people are not allowed to run for the regular seats on the Council? Of Course not because that would be racist. I think this country needs to get a grip... If they want Maori representation on the Council... then Vote for a Maori Candidate. But heaven forbid we get democratic.