Protests have been swelling throughout New Zealand after a minor party in the conservative coalition government drafted a bill to redefine the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi. Many critics see it as an attempt to strip long-agreed rights from the country's 900,000-strong Maori population.
Crowds gathered on the lawns outside New Zealand's beehive-shaped parliament building, playing reggae music and giving speeches that urged the government to come out and face them.
At the centre of the outcry is government minister David Seymour, the outspoken leader of the libertarian ACT Party, a minor partner in the governing coalition. Seymour has long railed against affirmative action policies designed to help Maori.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has voiced his opposition to Seymour's bill, meaning it is all but doomed to fail when it comes to parliament.
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