Pressenza Pressenza International Press Agency Auckland, 27/09/09 An excellent start for the Base Team! More than 250 people came to greet the International Team of the World March in the heart of Auckland, headed by their spokesperson Rafael de la Rubia, team coordinator, Marco Inglessis and members from 4 continents. They were gathered in the heart of Auckland in the presence of Maori chief Te Kuru Pounamu, and Xena Warrior Princess star, Lucy Lawless. With distinctive body and face markings, the Maoris recalled the need to resolve conflicts through peaceful means and through coming together, the way the Maori people found the strength to defend themselves and demand their place within the nation of New Zealand under colonisation.
For this occasion, they invited the crowd and the members of the base team to carry the famous peace dragon, “the Rainbow Dragon” made from the recycled sails of the unfortunate Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace flagship that was sunk by the French secret service in 1985. Fortified by the chants and accompanied by musicians, the joyful procession set off through the city, stopping at symbolic sites of progress, human rights and liberties for the country such as a wall of water that commemorates the time that women won the right to vote in New Zealand becoming the first country in the world to do so in 1893.
In the afternoon, the Marchers were welcomed by the “Te Puia” Maori community in the Whakarewarewa valley, source of hydrothermal energy, geysers and hot sprints; the cradle of Maori cultural heritage. Usually detached from all political subjects, the community has decided to endorse the World March making an exception, convinced of the good intentions of this initiative and the urgency of resolving the problem of constructing peace. The base team members participated in a ceremony representing the customs and traditions of the Maori people. “It was a magnificent entry into our subject, before the great official launch on the 2nd of October in Wellington”, said a delighted Rafael de la Rubia.
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