Thousands of people are marching the length of New Zealand in protest of a proposed law that would redefine the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown.

The controversial Treaty Principles Bill would end the Māori right of self-determination outlined in a nearly 200-year-old treaty, opposition parties say. ACT leader and bill author David Seymour said he wants the bill to end the practice of granting Māori citizens "different rights from other New Zealanders.”