Today the Waitangi Tribunal issued a scathing report of the Government’s Treaty Principles Bill and Treaty Clause Review polices.

The report described the government’s policy to whitewash Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a distortion of the language of the Treaty based on a false historical narrative. The Tribunal found no justifications for these policies which are designed to take away indigenous rights, assert Parliamentary dominance over Māori, and erase any duty the of the Crown to act with honour and integrity.

“We have the Prime Minister on record saying he is committed to upholding Article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Tino Rangatiratanga of Te Iwi Māori. He needs to prove this by immediately abandoning the Treaty Principles Bill and implementing all the recommendations of the Tribunal” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi.

“The government have so far ignored all evidence and advice that contradicts their short-sighted anti-Māori, anti-poor, and anti-taiao policy platform.

“Te Pāti Māori will not allow this weaponised ignorance to continue unchecked” Waititi said.

“The Tribunal have issued a clear warning and challenge to this government. But it is also an opportunity for the Prime Minister to prove his worth as leader of a Pacific nation” said co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“Luxon can no longer hide behind his coalition partners. Either he has given full control of his government to David Seymour, or he is using the coalition agreement as an excuse to pursue his own anti-Māori agenda.

“The Tribunal have given the Prime Minister an opportunity to restore some honour to the Crown, and to himself, by abandoning the Act Party’s anti-Treaty policies and beginning the process of healing his relationship with Māori” Ngarewa-Packer said.

“If Luxon ignores these recommendations he will go down in history as having led the most anti-Māori government in generations” said Waititi.

The Waitangi Tribunal recommends:

1. That the Government abandon the Treaty Principles Bill.
2. That the Government establish a Cabinet Māori-Crown relations committee that has oversight of the Crown’s Tiriti policies.
3. The Government pause the Treaty Clause Review policy while it is re-conceptualised through collaboration and co-design engagement with Māori.
4. That the Crown consider a process in partnership with Māori to undo the damage to the Māori-Crown relationship and restore confidence in and honour of the Crown.

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