New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Tuesday called proposed nationwide strikes on budget day encouraging Indigenous Māori and non-Māori allies to walk off their jobs in support of Indigenous rights ‘illegal’.
Luxon labelled appeals from opposition party Te Pāti Māori for Māori to “stand and rise” up in support of the strike “entirely wrong” and indicated that employees were not within their rights to strike under New Zealand employment law. Sections 83-84 of the Employment Relations Act 2000 stipulate that strikes related to collective bargaining or health and safety are lawful.
In an interview with the country’s national broadcaster, RNZ, Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Rawiri Waititi emphasised the importance of protest in an increasingly hostile political climate for Māori:
Look, if employers want to get wrapped up in employment law, well we can wrap you up in the Bill of Rights, we can wrap you up in human rights, we can wrap you up in Tiriti breaches, lets go, but we’ve gotta be brave enough and start to assert rangatiratanga (self-determination).
The Toitū Te Tiriti (honour the treaty) movement to uphold New Zealand’s founding constitutional document between the British Crown and Māori—Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi)—seeks to continue the momentum of previous activations at the meeting house of the Kīngitanga (Māori king movement) and the treaty grounds in January and February 2024.
Tensions are especially heightened in light of the coalition government’s recent introduction of bills perceived to be discriminatory towards Māori, such as the proposed reinstatement of local electorate polls on Māori constituencies and repeal of protections for Māori children under the Oranga Tamariki (Children’s and Young People’s Well-being) Act 1989.
New Zealand’s Transport Agency has shared footage of major disruptions to traffic in some parts of the country due to protest activity. Budget documents will be distributed to the media at 10:30 AM under embargo before being lifted to the public at 2 PM this afternoon.
