New Zealand on Thursday marked the anniversary of its founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi. The day came with quiet protests of government officials by some Māori leaders amid a national period of fractured race relations and the absence of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon from a gathering of politicians and Māori tribes which the country's leader traditionally attends.

The bill’s architect, David Seymour, met with protests at Waitangi marae — a Māori meeting house — during speeches by political leaders on Wednesday, as he made a fresh pitch for the law. The measures are widely derided and prompted tens of thousands of people to march on Parliament in Wellington last November.

Waitangi Day in New Zealand is marked by controversy as Māori leaders condemn a proposed bill to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi, sparking protests and political tensions.

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands gathered across New Zealand on Thursday to celebrate the signing of the country’s founding document and some called for an end to government policies that critics say erode the rights promised to the Indigenous Maori population.

New Zealand commemorates its national day on Thursday, Waitangi Day, marking 185 years since the signing of its foundational document in 1840. At the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the country's north, political and community leaders welcomed the day with a stately dawn service.

A bill aimed at ending long-standing rights from the indigenous population has fuelled this year’s heated events.