Her name is Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke and she wants her peoples’ land back. At the age of 22, she is New Zealand’s youngest Minister of Parliament in 170 years, elected in December of 2023. She is Māori, the most populous Indigenous group on the island country, and has a long family history of political activism.
This week, she made worldwide headlines for leading a Haka, a traditional Māori war cry, on the Parliament floor in protest of legislation that would support the ongoing British colonization of New Zealand that infringes on Indigenous Peoples’ land and rights.
Soon after Hana-Rawhiti led the Haka, it went viral. You can see in the video how she fearlessly spoke up for her people, while the lawmaker of British heritage overseeing the government session, Gerry Brownlee, sat back, so comfortable in his power, that he rolled his eyes at the protest, seemingly with apathy.
The entire scene struck a chord with people all over the world, particularly women, igniting a wave of support from prominent figures like Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer to renowned women’s rights activists like Shannon Watts.
Now, the whole world is watching and waiting to see what will happen next. Will it be a young Gen-Z woman who restores the land and rights of Aotearoa, the original name for New Zealand, to its original people? Will New Zealand’s head of state, the U.K.’s King Charles, weigh in on the debate?
What do you think should happen next? Share your thoughts int he comments section.
