‘Papatūānuku Rising’ is a march and rally through central Napier on Sunday, 28 July. Those taking part will gather at Clive Square in central Napier at 1pm. The march will go along Emerson Street to the Soundshell on Marine Parade.
One organiser, Marilyn Scott, says hundreds of people are expected to join. “We have heard from a lot of people saying they intend to march with us. People are looking for ways to show their support for nature, for tangata whenua and for a better, fairer planet. This march, that we are calling Papatūānuku Rising, is their chance to do that.”
Ms Scott says the march is being organised by a group of Māori and Pākehā “dismayed at the government’s attack on nature, particularly through its proposed Fast Track Bill and also its numerous attempts to undermine Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Reo Māori.”
“The march supports three core principles: protecting Te Taiao, our environment, and living within finite planetary boundaries; honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi by understanding and taking responsibility for our own colonial history and the ongoing colonisation of other indigenous nations; and working towards greater equity and fairness in our society.”
Speakers at the Soundshell will include Environmental Researcher, Wilson Pearse; Nick Ratcliffe from Ceasefire Now HB; Kerri Nuku, Kaiwhakahaere for the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) and Marilyn Scott.