Activists are protesting proposed changes to New Zealand's foundational document, the Treaty of Waitangi. But is the bill more bark than bite?

Nearly ten thousand people took to the streets in New Zealand to protest the introduction of the controversial Treaty Principles Bill in Parliament. Critics said the bill, if passed, could reverse the rights and other protection mechanisms for the Indigenous Māori people.

Parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday after Māori MPs performed a haka to disrupt a vote on a controversial bill that has ignited protests across New Zealand. The bill proposes to change the way in which the Treaty of Waitangi - a 184-year-old treaty between the British Crown and Māori people - is interpreted.

Under the principles laid out in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, tribes were promised broad rights to retain their lands and protect their interests.

New Zealand's parliament was brought to a temporary halt by MPs performing a haka, amid anger over a controversial bill seeking to reinterpret the country's founding treaty with Māori people. Opposition party MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke began the traditional ceremonial group dance after being asked whether her party supported the bill,

New Zealand's indigenous community is rallying against a proposed bill that could strangle state support and stoke anti-Maori rhetoric, opponents say.