Ngāti Kahungunu Horseback Tira Delivers 53,000-Signature Treaty Petition to Parliament

A powerful display of Māori advocacy arrived at the steps of Parliament on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, as a horseback hīkoi from Ngāti Kahungunu completed a five-day journey from Waimārama. As reported by Te Ao Māori News and Waatea News, the tira hoiho traveled hundreds of kilometres to deliver a petition urging the government to maintain Te Tiriti o Waitangi references in national law. The petition, which grew from 20,000 signatures at the start of the trek to nearly 53,000 upon arrival, calls for the Crown to halt any changes that would weaken Māori rights or silence their voice in regional decision-making. The trek was deeply rooted in whakapapa, beginning at the home of Harawira Mahikai Te Tātere, a Ngāti Kurukuru rangatira and ancestor of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated chair Bayden Barber, who signed Te Tiriti at Waipūreku in 1840. The riders traversed the iwi takiwā, passing through locations associated with signatories Te Hāpuku Te Ika-nui-o-Te-Moana and Hoani Waikato, including Kahurānaki Marae, Pukehou, Havelock North, Waipawa, Waipukurau, Dannevirke, and Masterton (Te Whakaoriori). Barber stated that while farmers often use tractors to signal discontent, tangata whenua took to their horses to send a clear message. The journey also aimed to boost Māori political participation among rangatahi during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. The petition was presented to Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel at midday, while Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka also met the group on the ātea. Potaka acknowledged the significant effort, though political views remain divided. Minister Shane Jones suggested current Treaty references lack consistency, and Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith indicated a government review of Treaty principles is underway, though it will not pass before the November 7 election. Ngāti Kahungunu deputy chair Hayden Hape emphasized the movement's importance in a climate where proposed legislation may distance the government from its Treaty responsibilities. Despite government assurances that the review is procedural, Barber maintains the hīkoi was a necessary response to policies that threaten the enduring 1840 relationship between the Crown and Māori. The initiative represents a unified call to ensure the Treaty remains a central pillar of the country's legal landscape.