(CNN) Maori groups in New Zealand are taking to the streets to protest family separations carried out by the child welfare agency and a planned development on their ancestral lands.

The protests have strained relations between Maori and the Labour coalition government led by Jacinda Ardern, who has been in the remote Pacific territory of Tokelau at a time of rising tension at home.

Hundreds of protesters marched Tuesday in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, and other cities around the country, according to Reuters.

Taking infants into state care -- known as "uplifting" -- has been making headlines in the country since mid-June when an investigation by local media outlet Newsroom showed authorities attempting to take a seven-day-old baby from its 19-year-old Maori mother while she was still in the maternity ward.

Some have raised concerns that Maori and Pacific Island babies are disproportionately affected by "uplifts" due to institutional racism. Over 15,000 people have signed an open letter online urging the government to "stop stealing Maori children."

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