A wave of emotion it set to hit Wellington tomorrow (Tuesday 19 November), with the highest profile topic in Aotearoa New Zealand right now set on a collision course.

The hīkoi against the contentious Treaty Principles Bill - which set out from Cape Rienga a week ago and will be met by the South Island contingent in Porirua - arrives at Parliament on Tuesday, with many members of the creative community and arts organisations involved along its journey.

Among those taking an active part is artist, photographer and videographer Tamaira Hook, who has been documenting the journey of the Hīkoi on Instagram (including the above image from the Tāmaki Makaurau leg).

The movement went international last week when Te Pāti Māori’s Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke grabbed worldwide headlines. In a video that's been viewed hundreds millions of times, New Zealand’s youngest member of parliament produced a stirring haka in response to the Treaty Principles Bill, tearing it up symbolically while supported in performance by members of her party, as well as Labour and the Greens. 

It's captured the attention of many creatives - with Arts Laureate and celebrated poet Tusiata Avia using her writing talents to give her take on the now viral event via a post on her Substack. 

Avia - whose work confronting colonisation and accomplishments have long been targeted by Government coalition partner ACT - has being singled out for praise by many for her response to Maipi-Clarke, with several desrcibing it as 'a cloak of words'.

Her poem is being shared widely on social media - and is published below - with Avia's permission.

In praise of Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke 

(for my daughter)  

And today, Hana-Rawhiti rose –  

more than stood – she rose  

like Nafanua, goddess of war  

like Hine-nui-te-po, goddess of death 

like the wahine toa who is exactly like herself 

She rose from that house full of insects  

and she tore that white bill –  

white as the whites of her eyes  

staring down the enemy on the battlefield 

She tore that white bill right down through the backbone 

tore it into two and she held it 

one in each fist 

like the two flags of war 

like the twin battle-clubs only the war goddess may hold 

and she shook them in the faces of those 

enemies with hearts as empty as their faces – 

faces white as their insides and red as their outsides 

their empty red mouths 

and their empty white guts 

and she cried the cry that brought more cries 

from those who sounded through her  

down from the heavens 

and down from those who stood above her 

on earth as it is in  

the place our tupuna and our tupuaga stand 

She cried the cries of all those who came before her 

and will come after her. 

And that is you, Sepela – 

that is you too, my daughter 

so, watch closely  

this woman who leads the battle cry 

these are the songs you are learning to make 

the battle dance you are learning to dance 

watch closely this wahine toa 

this is the wahine toa  

you are also learning to be.