Life at a post-hīkoi VUW

By Kaea Hudson (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe) 

On the 19th of November 2024 a record number of people journeyed to the streets of Wellington for the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti. Young and old, students and teachers, from near and far, the group at Waitangi Park swelled even larger than the Homegrown crowd. It felt like I ran into everyone I had ever met in Wellington, but the longer the day drew on, the more insta stories I saw from people I had yet to run into. It was both inspiring and empowering to be taking to the streets alongside people who wanted the same thing I did - kotahitanga in action. The worthy cause? Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Wellington especially had become a ticking time bomb of Treaty issues, and the pot was ready to burst. Everyone had an opinion, and on the hīkoi those opinions were clearly manifest - uphold the Treaty. I wondered just where everyone had come from and marveled that we could all be so connected on this important issue. And yet I can’t help but wonder: how much did the Hīkoi really change the minds of everyday people? How will this hīkoi affect my life? 

This is by no means an objective or unbiased account. The majority of my friends here at VUW are political people - as Vic students, as law students, as Māori. I like to think that the Treaty impacted all of our lives long before we were marching down the streets. But now that the hubbub has died down, I’m not so sure. Last year, with submission after submission building strength, the Treaty tensions were palpable. Daily conversations did not get far without comment on the most recent Treaty issue. When the hīkoi came we were ready. Now that it is over, the Treaty seems to be less of a public issue - even though it is still being attacked. At first this was disappointing. It felt like we had all made a collective statement then gotten back on our high horses and deserted the cause. But truthfully, we may have just needed the summer off - fighting the good fight 24/7 is never sustainable. 

But now that our summer break is over, what is the way forward for our humble Treaty? To me, the comedown of the hīkoi high looks like de-centering the government’s anti-Treaty agenda and focusing on how the Treaty affects my life. I wonder if this is what it felt like in the aftermath of the foreshore and seabed hīkoi (my youth and inexperience in nation-wide protests is showing). Now that we can take a break from the barrage, we can focus our time and effort on where Treaty issues impact us the most. While there is strength in numbers, we cannot all be across every cause. Taking time to reflect, regroup and reprioritise will help us in the long run. There is definitely a different vibe at VUW post-hīkoi. I think we feel just a little more connected, even though we have returned to our regularly scheduled activities. It is my hope that the hīkoi gave everyone an insight into the power we have when mobilised together. Strong foundations have been forged for better connections in the future. Now is the time to build and maintain relationships, especially between intersecting equity groups. In the meantime, I will keep my Tino flag handy, and I’ll remember to bring cough drops next time so I don't lose my voice. 

Hīkoi! Hīkoi! Hīkoi! Hīkoi! Hīkoi mo te Tiriti! Hīkoi mo te Tiriti!