Māori don’t just hīkoi for change – we dress for it, too.

One thing we don’t get enough credit for as Māori (aside a very long list of many other things) is our ability to dress for an occasion, be it a reunion, hui, tangi or hīkoi. You can trust matua to dust off his pōtae collection, whaea to pick out her biggest pounamu and the rangatahi to raid the whānau closest for the clothes and taonga worn at marches and gatherings past.

When the Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi hit Auckland, Aotearoa’s most multicultural and (arguably) fashionable city rose to the occasion. The red, black and white of the tino rangatiratanga flag were the unofficial team colours of the day, with the flag itself wrapped into scarves, hats, dresses, shawls and capes. You might imagine you’d want to don some athleisure for an event that takes you 13.5km through Auckland on foot, but serious steezers know how to make style work with the occasion.

Hohaia

“[The outfit is] a bit of coloniser, a homage to the blanket trading days when Māori were discovering new technologies and textiles … But I’m still savage inside.”

Miikaere and Maddi

A happy couple.

Yangui

“I’m indigenous Taiwanese. We arrived in New Zealand five days ago for a conference, and wanted to support our indigenous friends.”

Hex

Three-and-a-half years old, and a proud kurī Māori.

Ehaka

“You gotta come out and support the kaupapa! You gotta be here with our kaumātua and tamariki.”

Easton

“I’m six and a half. I’m here to support my whānau.”

Miles

“I felt I couldn’t sit by idly any more. The suit? It’s a special occasion.”

Te Aniwa

Pammy and friends

“We [Pammy and husband, right] live in the UK, but my children and grandchildren are here. We’ve been doing these marches for years … A lot of people in the UK are aware of what’s going on here with the government, and they’re really concerned by it.”

Jean

“I’m channelling Dame Whina Cooper.”