Thousands of people joined a march towards New Zealand's national capital on Friday after a contentious bill that would reinterpret the country's 184-year-old founding document passed its first hurdle in parliament.

Approximately 10,000 protesters marched through Rotorua, New Zealand, voicing their opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill. As they made their way south towards the capital, Wellington, they were greeted by hundreds of supporters waving the Maori flag, the New Zealand police said.