An estimated 35,000 people have protested in New Zealand's capital against a bill that they say will redefine the country's founding treaty with the Māori people, police say

Most demonstrators began marching from a Wellington park to the nation's parliament earlier today - the final leg of a nine-day hīkoi, or peaceful protest

The bill seeks to reinterpret the 184-year-old Treaty of Waitangi between British colonisers and Māori people which covers issues like land and cultural rights

The bill's proponents say it would enable all New Zealanders to have the same rights as Māori people, while critics say it would undermine the rights of indigenous people

Although the bill is unlikely to pass, as it lacks support from some of the government's coalition partners, critics say it still risks upsetting race relations

The hīkoi began last week in the country's far north - some have walked hundreds of kilometres