Riders from across the lower North Island in Aotearoa will travel hundreds of kilometres on horseback to Parliament this week with a petition opposing changes to Te Tiriti o Waitangi references in legislation.

The five-day trek will leave Waimārama Marae on Friday, travel through the Ngāti Kahungunu takiwā and cross the Remutaka Range before reaching Parliament on Tuesday.

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated chair Bayden Barber wants to deliver a message to the Government and whoever takes office after the November 7 election.

"We are serious about protecting Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the founding agreement of this country," Mr Barber told Te Ao News.

"Not only to this Government, but whoever is there come November 7."

The petition calls on Parliament to retain Te Tiriti principles and references in legislation without amendment.

It comes as the Government reviews Treaty provisions under the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement, which committed to replacing references to Treaty principles with more specific wording or repealing them.

Te Ao News reports that Cabinet has agreed to changes including reducing some obligations to give effect to Te Tiriti (Treaty of Waitangi) or its principles to no higher than a requirement to take them into account.

The Waitangi Tribunal found the changes would significantly weaken statutory recognition of Te Tiriti and amount to a significant constitutional regression.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith rejected its recommendation to pause the reforms but acknowledged the legislation will not pass before the November 7 election, leaving its future dependent on the next Parliament.

For Mr Barber, the trek responds to policies he believes are weakening Māori rights, including scrapping existing Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements under the replacement for the Resource Management Act.

The agreements allowed iwi (tribal) authorities and councils to establish how they would work together on resource management, including planning, engagement and Treaty settlement obligations.

Federated Farmers lobbied against carrying the agreements into the new system, with Resource Management Reform Minister Chris Bishop acknowledging its advocacy.

Travelling by horseback is a deliberate expression of the riders' connection to the land.

"When farmers are unhappy with governments, they protest with their tractors," Mr Barber said, Te Ao News reports.

"We, as tangata whenua, the people of the land, will take our horses to the steps of Parliament so that our message is crystal clear: protect Te Tiriti o Waitangi."

The route follows connections to Ngāti Kahungunu signatories to Te Tiriti, beginning at Waimārama Marae (meeting place).

The marae is home to Harawira Mahikai Te Tātere, a Ngāti Kurukuru chief and ancestor of Mr Barber who signed Te Tiriti at Waipūreku in 1840.

Te Ao News reports riders will connect with whānau from Heretaunga, Ahuriri and Wairoa before travelling through Havelock North and Hastings to Kahurānaki Marae at Te Hauke.

Ngāti Kahungunu rangatira Te Hapuku Te Ika nui o Te Moana also signed at Waipūreku, while the route passes through Pukehou, the rohe of signatory Hoani Waikato.

The journey continues through Waipawa, Waipukurau, Rākautātahi, Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua and Te Whakaoriori before crossing the Remutaka into Te Awakairangi.

Each stop connects the riders with histories of Te Tiriti and their ancestors.

Riders will reach Waiwhetū on Tuesday morning before travelling to Parliament, with other iwi invited to join from Pito One to Te Whare Paremata.

"Ngā kaiwhakaeke hōhio ā iwi, huri noa i te motu, mehemea ka pīrangi hono mai ki tēnei kaupapa haramai," Mr Barber said.

The petition is expected to be handed to Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel at midday on Wednesday, with the intention of presenting it to the House that afternoon.

The timing coincides with Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (A campaign celebrating the use of Māori language) and recalls the Māori language petition delivered to Parliament on September 14, 1972.

More than 30,000 people signed that petition calling for te reo Māori to be taught in schools, marking a defining moment in the language revitalisation movement.

Te Taiwhenua o Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua representative and Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated deputy chair Hayden Hape views the petition as a response to continued attacks on Treaty obligations.

"This petition is especially important as we have experienced continued attacks on Te Tiriti o Waitangi within government legislation, basically absolving the government of its responsibility to uphold Treaty precepts and principles," Mr Hape said, Te Ao News reports.

The trek also aims to encourage Māori participation in this year's election.

"If our young people can ride their horses from Waimārama to Pōneke, then surely our whānau can get along to the polling booth and vote," Mr Barber said.

"This is the most important election for this country, especially for Māori, in our generation."

Original Reporting by Te Ao News