Over 200,000 people have shown their support for honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and opposing the Treaty Principles Bill in a petition led by rangatahi Māori. It is the biggest petition ever hosted by petition-hosting platform ActionStation.

The Bill has been called “the worst, most comprehensive breach of the Treaty/Te Tiriti in modern times” and has sparked the largest hīkoi the country has seen.

Launched by a group of Ngāti Whakaue young people, the petition joins the call of church leaders, community organisations, Te Reo translators, the country’s most expert lawyers and hīkoi attendees across the country - for the Coalition Government to stop the Bill from passing into law.

Supported by ActionStation, the petition grew by 200,000 signatures in the past week, making it the largest petition ever hosted on their community campaigning platform.

ActionStation Director, Kassie Hartendorp says that there is an unprecedented unity among people from all walks of life to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

“The country has spoken. This Bill is a bad faith attempt to revoke the Government’s commitments to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and it’s visible to not just Aotearoa, but the world. The Coalition Government knew this would cause a breakdown in our Māori/Crown relationship, and decided to sign up for it anyway. Now is the time that we must hold all governments to account to respect Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”

Petition author Maringi James (Te Rōpū Rangatahi o Ngāti Whakaue) says: “One of the most important goals of this petition is to encourage rangatahi to step into spaces like the submission process. These spaces are often intimidating and feel inaccessible, but they’re powerful tools for creating change. By leading this kaupapa, I hope to show that we as rangatahi not only belong in these spaces—we are capable of leading the conversation.”

James adds: “There’s a perception that rangatahi don’t care enough or aren’t equipped to take on issues like this, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We care deeply about the future of Aotearoa and protecting the promises of Te Tiriti, as well as agreements like the Rotorua Township Agreement. What’s needed is a shift in how we’re supported and encouraged to take action, and I hope this petition is a step toward making that happen.”

The petition is planned to be delivered to Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke on behalf of Te Pāti Māori at Parliament on Tuesday the 19th of November when the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti reaches the capital city.

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