More than 40,000 people marched on the New Zealand capital this week, in a show of anger at a proposed overhaul of a treaty underpinning Maori rights, as a conservative backlash against the liberal policies of former prime minister Jacinda Ardern gained traction.

The protest — which included the famous “haka” dance — demonstrated the deep divisions in New Zealand, where the political pendulum has swung away from the progressive policies championed by Ardern.

Since taking power last year, the centre-right government of Christopher Luxon has swept away many of the preceding government’s landmark initiatives, empowered by a shift against the “Jacindamania” fervour that had delivered the Labour party a historic victory in 2020, but faded under the pressures of the pandemic and the rising cost of living.