hikoi

/ˈhiːkɔɪ/

Etymology

Borrowed from Māori hīkoi (“march”).

Why this word is great

HIKOI — [Noun] A protest march, typically involving a long journey, especially one organized by Māori. Borrowed from Māori hīkoi ("march"). Unlike "protest" (a general term for any public demonstration) or "parade" (a celebratory procession), hikoi carries the weight of ancestral footsteps—a deliberate, collective movement rooted in land, memory, and redress. It is the rhythmic tread of bare feet on tarmac, the unfurling of a hand-painted banner at dawn, the slow convergence of voices into a single karanga that cuts through the cold morning air. Not just a march, but a walking testament: the land remembers, and so must we.

noun

A protest march, typically involving a long journey.“Although the coalition was fragile, it was a signal achievement for the Tainui contingent and the main body of the hikoi to arrive at Waitangi on the same day.”

verb

To participate in a hikoi.“Then in March Ngāti Kahungunu announced that they would hikoi to Wellington with a view to arriving around the time that the Foreshore and Seabed Bill was due to come before Parliament.”