Over 150 Organisations Unite Against Treaty Principles Bill

Monday, 29 July 2024, 4:39 pm
Press Release: ActionStation

In an open letter to PM Christopher Luxon, over 150 community groups and civil society organisations have asked for an immediate stop to ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill. Signatories say the Bill is constitutionally destructive and should not be dignified with a select committee hearing.

Penned by ActionStation Aotearoa with support from leading Te Tiriti experts, the open letter reflects the growing public support against the disturbing Treaty Principles Bill and the suite of the Coalition Government’s anti-Māori policies.

The open letter calls on Luxon to choose integrity and honour over distortion, disrespect and division. It asks that he stop the Bill before it reaches the select committee process and that he stands true to his words at Waitangi where he stated that Te Tiriti is “our past, present and future”.

Signatories include the Mental Health Foundation, Amnesty International, Ara Taiohi, Council of Trade Unions, Disabled Persons Assembly, New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services and the National Council of Women.

ActionStation Director, Kassie Hartendorp says that both non-Māori and Māori in civil society are unified on this issue.

“There is not a single organisation I have heard from that supports this divisive, destructive Bill going ahead. While many expect this anti-Te Tiriti attack from the ACT Party, it’s more concerning that the Prime Minister is entertaining the idea of giving this Bill any oxygen.

“Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the foundation of our democracy, and cannot be redefined or reinterpreted simply because one man and one political party elected with the support of 9% of voters would like to take our country backwards.”

The open letter says that the Anti-Treaty Bill promotes misinformation and is highly misleading.

“Te Tiriti o Waitangi has always given us a pathway to work together, respectfully. The Treaty Principles Bill tramples any promise of a good faith partnership. We only need to look to our neighbours in Australia to see the way that a referendum has torn a country apart.”

The Bill has been widely criticised, including by esteemed Professor Margaret Mutu who stated that the bill is “deliberately misleading”. The open letter signed by 27 licensed Māori translators said the Bill was based on a translation of te Tiriti that was “deeply flawed” and failed “international translation ethical standards”.

Seymour’s recent attempt to release the Bill early ‘by stealth’ through the letter to Pharmac outlining his criticisms of The Treaty of Waitangi are also being globally criticized.

“We are sadly seeing an all-out attack on Te Tiriti o Waitangi with this Bill and many anti-Māori policies since the 2023 election. It’s time that Christopher Luxon shows true leadership, drops this Bill and takes a long hard look at how his Government is trampling our constitutional agreement.”

The open letter can be found here and organisations are welcome to sign on to show their support here.

Notes:

A number of Māori Te Tiriti experts were consulted in the construction of the letter, to ensure that the contents were reflective of relevant and genuine expertise.

[FULL TEXT] 

Open letter to Christopher Luxon: Stop the Treaty Principles Bill

Dear Prime Minister Luxon,

It is the responsibility of the people in government to meet the basic standards of conventional democracy and governance. It is your collective role to act with integrity and make informed decisions that impact generations using the best knowledge, information and expertise available. The Government should always (and only) represent the needs of the people - not disregard them.

What is proposed in ACT’s Anti-Treaty Bill promotes misinformation and is highly misleading to the people of this country. It is based on an ACT policy which displays the Parties’ complete disrespect for Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

A Bill as constitutionally destructive as this should not be dignified with a select committee hearing.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi clearly outlines commitments between Māori and the Crown. It makes it possible for tauiwi (non-Māori) to make a home here and have equal individual rights, while Māori retain their authority over their communities, lands and treasures. Te Tiriti o Waitangi provides the foundation for a partnership that many tauiwi, including Pākehā, are proud of. The Treaty Principles Bill seeks to destroy that foundation.

The Bill misrepresents the collective guarantee of Māori tino rangatiratanga into something it is not (and never could be) by erasing the inherent rights that Te Tiriti affirms and protects - as is demonstrated by the words of esteemed Professor Margaret Mutu and a renowned group of licensed translators.

We, the under-signed, ask the Prime Minister to stop the Treaty Principles Bill and ensure it is withdrawn prior to the select committee process.

At Waitangi this year, you, Prime Minister Luxon, said: “The Treaty is our past, present and future.” We hope those statements are more than just hollow rhetoric or empty words. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is an intrinsic foundation of our democracy and we need our elected leaders to respect it as such.

We call on you, Prime Minister: choose integrity and honour over distortion, disrespect, and division. Responding to this in good faith and withdrawing the Bill before the select committee hearing will demonstrate partnership in action and will be remembered for generations to come.

Signed,

See full list here

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