As the Government prepares to introduce the Treaty Principles Bill tomorrow, Labour leader Chris Hipkins says the “damage has already been done”.
The Government will introduce the controversial bill tomorrow, Acting Leader of the House Simeon Brown confirmed last night – it was originally set down for November 18.
The minister responsible for the bill, David Seymour, said it “provides an opportunity for New Zealanders — rather than the courts and the Waitangi Tribunal — to have a say on what the Treaty means”.
“Did the Treaty give different rights to different groups, or does every citizen have equal rights? I believe all New Zealanders deserve to have a say on that question.”
But the Waitangi Tribunal said in the second part of its interim report that “if this bill were to be enacted, it would be the worst, most comprehensive breach of the Te Tiriti in modern times”.
Labour’s Hipkins told Breakfast this morning: “This is the most radical reinterpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi in over 100 years. Even just getting to this point, where the bill is being introduced as Government policy, has effectively undone decades worth of work to restore the relationship between Māori and the Crown.
“The whole Treaty settlements process gets drawn into question by its introduction, because the Treaty settlements are all based on the law as it stood and the Government are now proposing to change that law.
“I think it’s just such a massive step backwards for New Zealand.
“And unfortunately, even if the bill doesn’t proceed beyond its first reading, the damage has already been done here.”
National and New Zealand First have both said they would not support the bill beyond its first reading.
But Hipkins said the bill being introduced as a Government bill meant it reflected those parties’ policies as well. He called the move “cynical”.
“Just introducing it as Government policy has done untold damage to what I think New Zealanders were quite proud of, that we had been making a lot of progress as a country,” Hipkins said.
“I think that’s just reprehensible and such a step back for New Zealand.”
The Bill was originally set to be introduced on November 18, but when it was brought forward to this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released the second part of its interim report into the Treaty Principles Bill to ensure it can be received by parties prior to the Bill being introduced to the House.
“I only received a copy of the Waitangi Tribunal’s report this evening, so I can’t comment on its contents yet,” Seymour said last night.
“It’s a shame that the Waitangi Tribunal has broken the Government’s trust again. It demands information from the Government, such as the date the Treaty Principles Bill is to be introduced to Parliament, but the information becomes public within hours of them knowing. Respect should go both ways.”
