New Zealand parliament debates controversial bill as protesters march on capital

By Renju Jose

SYDNEY (Reuters) - New Zealand's parliament on Thursday began a heated debate on a contentious bill aimed at reinterpreting the country's founding agreement as hundreds of protesters continued their march toward the country's capital.

The ACT New Zealand party, a junior partner in the country's centre-right coalition government, last week unveiled the bill which aims to define the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

First signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Maori chiefs, it lays down how the two parties agreed to govern. The interpretation of clauses in the document still guides legislation and policy today.

The proposed bill passed its first reading on Thursday and will now be sent to a select committee.

Associate Justice Minister David Seymour said the Maori are being given different rights than non-Indigenous citizens, who lose out because of policies specifically designed for the uplift of Maori.

Seymour said people who oppose the bill want to "stir up" fear and division. "My mission is to empower every person," he added.

The controversial legislation, however, is seen by many Maori and their supporters as undermining the rights of the country's Indigenous people, who make up around 20% of the population of 5.3 million.

Hundreds have set out on a nine-day march, or hikoi, from New Zealand's north to the national capital of Wellington in protest over the legislation, staging rallies in towns and cities as they move south.

Introduced by Seymour's ACT New Zealand party, which won 8.6% of the vote in last year's election, the bill is expected to fail.

Coalition partners the National Party and New Zealand First, are only supporting the legislation through the first of three readings as part of the coalition agreement. Both parties have said they will not support it to become legislation.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said his government's top focus will be on the economy and improving law and order.

"You do not go negate, with a single stroke of a pen, 184 years of debate and discussion, with a bill that I think is very simplistic," Luxon told reporters before leaving for Peru to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Nicholas Yong)