New Zealand on Thursday marked the anniversary of its founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi. The day came with quiet protests of government officials by some Māori leaders amid a national period of fractured race relations and the absence of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon from a gathering of politicians and Māori tribes which the country's leader traditionally attends.

The bill's architect, David Seymour, met with protests at Waitangi marae — a Māori meeting house — during speeches by political leaders on Wednesday, as he made a fresh pitch for the law. The measures are widely derided and prompted tens of thousands of people to march on Parliament in Wellington last November.

New Zealand recognises Waitangi Day, the day that commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. It was signed by representatives of the British Crown and over 40 rangatira (chiefs) who gathered in Waitangi in the Bay of Islands.

Thousands gathered across New Zealand on Thursday to celebrate the signing of the country’s founding document and some called for an end to government policies that critics say erode the rights promised to the Indigenous Maori population.

Thousands gathered across New Zealand yesterday to celebrate the signing of the country’s founding document and some called for an end to government policies that critics say erode the rights promised to the indigenous Maori population.

Waitangi Day in New Zealand is marked by controversy as Māori leaders condemn a proposed bill to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi, sparking protests and political tensions.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon has used his Waitangi Day address to settle nerves over his government's attitude to Maori and the Treaty of Waitangi, insisting it would "honour the treaty and work in partnership with Maori".