A draft version of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill will be considered by Cabinet this afternoon, the Herald understands.
The Act leader’s bill, part of the coalition Government’s agreement, will go to first reading in November and could be sent to a select committee for further discussion.
However, Act’s coalition partners, National and NZ First, have said they will not support the bill past its first reading.
It comes after 400 church leaders, including all three Anglican archbishops, the Catholic Archbishop and a Catholic cardinal, the Methodist Church president, and the Salvation Army commissioner signed an open letter to MPs calling on them to vote down the bill.
Act leader David Seymour's Treaty Principles Bill is set to be considered by Cabinet today. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Seymour told the Herald the pushback by the churches was undemocratic and not the first time the church had tried to interfere in democracy.
“This isn’t the first time the church has tried to prevent the people from having their say on a policy of mine, the first time being the End of Life Choice Act,” Seymour told the Herald.
In a Facebook post this morning, Seymour hit out at the church leaders, saying “the core Christian principle of imago dei” automatically meant we all had equal dignity.
The Treaty Principles Bill reinforced that belief and was “something that Christian leaders should be supporting, if they want to play in politics”, he said.
“If you wonder why church attendance and reported Christianity is in decline in New Zealand, today’s display of church leaders abandoning a core, if not the core, Christian belief to play politics might be a clue.”
The open letter, released this morning, states: “As Christian leaders from across Aotearoa New Zealand we express our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We affirm that Te Tiriti o Waitangi protects the tino rangatiratanga of hapū and iwi. That rangatiratanga over land and taonga is to be upheld.
“We therefore express our opposition to the proposed Treaty Principles Bill.”
In the letter, the signatories called on “all members of Parliament to do everything in their power” to prevent the bill going to select committee and “towards the ongoing restoration of the Tiriti relationship”.
In August, the Waitangi Tribunal released a scathing report after considering the bill under urgency. The tribunal said the bill was unfair, discriminatory and needed to be abandoned.
The 189-page interim report says the Treaty Principles Bill was “a solution to a problem that does not exist”, saying Māori did not want this policy and “in fact many have been strongly opposed to it from the beginning”.
“Despite the constitutional significance of defining the Treaty principles in legislation and the importance of this to Māori, the Crown agreed to pursue the policy without any engagement or discussion with Māori.
“We have found that the Treaty Principles Bill policy is unfair, discriminatory, and inconsistent with the principles of partnership and reciprocity, active protection, good government, equity, and redress, and contrary to the article 2 guarantee of rangatiratanga.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy PM Winston Peters say they will support Act’s Treaty Principles Bill to the first reading only and not a referendum – Luxon and Peters are pictured with Kuini Nga wai hono i te po. Photo / RNZ
Speaking at 18th coronation of Kīngi Tūheitia this year, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters reiterated they would support Act’s Treaty Principles Bill to the first reading only and not a referendum.
“I don’t know how much clearer I can be,” Luxon said when quizzed by media after his speech at Tūrangawaewae Marae.
“I have been talking with iwi leaders and have had some incredibly constructive conversations. My legacy for Māori will be about improving outcomes for Māori.”
‘Cabinet can stop it today’
Labour MP Willie Jackson was also among the mourners at the tangi for Kīngi Tūheitia. Photo / Mike Scott
“Right now, National is allowing Act to lead a divisive debate on the Treaty, which is so foundational to our country, and something that means so much to so many – despite saying they won’t support it in the long term,” Jackson said.
“Cabinet can stop it today. National Party ministers should put their foot down now. If Christopher Luxon won’t, they should collectively tell David Seymour they disagree with his divisive agenda.”
Jackson said the bill was based on “outdated and incorrect” perspectives on the Treaty.
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.
Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you
