Protests: Te Pāti Māori co-chairs support call for New Zealand-wide strike on Budget Day

The co-chairs of Te Pāti Māori rejected suggestions calling for people to strike in a nationwide protest on Thursday evening, saying the government was “oppressive” and the action was a necessary response to the policy.

Thousands of people are expected to take part in protests across the country next Thursday, which is also Budget Day. Organizers encouraged people to quit their jobs to unite against “the government’s attack on tangataWhenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi”.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told reporters today that calls for a strike are inappropriate and illegal because there are rules about when and how a strike can be carried out.

Asked if it was irresponsible to call on people to strike on Thursday, co-chair Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said: “I don’t think it’s irresponsible to call our people and fulfill their requests for a call to action.

“They’re fed up and I don’t know where you want to start, whether to end the genocide, the way the government is marginalizing rainbow communities, our taiao, our tangata, our reo, where do you want to start?

“The final straw,” Ngarewa-Packer said, “was that we have referenda for Māori districts, given the five-day amendment (repeal of section) 7AA (of the Oranga Tamariki Act), in the same way they did it ( operated under the Fast Track Approval Act, for which no public consultations were held).

“Our whānau have the right to be heard and seen, and if we call on them to strike, stand up, kei te pai.”

Co-chairman Rawiri Waititi said strikes had been ongoing in New Zealand for years, including before employment contracting processes were implemented.

“Who says only one person can define what a strike is?”

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said Te Pāti Māori “have been on strike since day one”.

“That’s all they think about,” he told reporters in parliament today.

“They bring disgrace to a former great Māori leader in this country. There is nothing new in them calling for a strike.”

Toitū Te Tiriti’s Eru Kapa-King previously told the Herald the delays people face on the roads as a result of the protest are nothing compared to the impact of some of the coalition’s policies on Māori.

“So a few people are late for work? So what? What this government does to Māori every day is much worse,” Kapa-Kingi said.

“We expect thousands of people to take part in the campaign – even more than last time. This will be a repeat of our last activation, but on a larger scale, and we want to be hōhā and disrupt as much as possible.

In December, thousands of people joined Te Pāti Māori protests against government policies it described as “anti-Māori”. Police said about 300 cars joined the protest in Auckland, which “was peaceful, with the vast majority of groups dispersing relatively quickly.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said there were “clear rules” for strikes. Asked if organizers’ calls for a strike were right, Luxon replied: “No, it’s illegal.”

The Industrial Relations Act 2000 sets out requirements that must be met for a strike to be considered ‘lawful’.

“I think it’s wrong – I think it’s completely wrong. Feel free to protest, that’s what we have weekends for. These Pāti Māori, have complete freedom to protest as long as it is legal to do so.”

Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins said he encouraged people to express their right to free speech, but to do so “within the limits of the law”.

Labor MP Peeni Henare said industrial action was not surprising given actions taken by the coalition government, such as disbanding the Māori Health Authority. Other policies that impact Māori or have sparked a strong Māori response include the repeal of section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act.

“I don’t know why anyone would be surprised.”

Taking part in a protest is “up to everyone,” he said.

“But let’s be honest, what we’re losing here… backward views on Māori politics is what’s causing this kind of harm to people, so they’ll make their own choice as to whether they want to support or not.”

Earlier this week, Toitū Te Tiriti, the activist collective behind the protests, took to social media to appeal to Māori and non-Māori, saying: “We are asking that all Māori and tangata Tiriti go on strike during the day to prove that the power of our economy through complete separation from it.”

It said the protocol for Thursday’s protest included remaining calm, respectful and focusing on mokopuna.

Major disruption is expected in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch as thousands of Māori flag-waving vehicles take part in carkoi and hīkoi across Aotearoa.