New Zealand has become more divided over the Treaty of Waitangi, fuelled by unelected bureaucrats and judges promoting a “partnership” interpretation, Act leader David Seymour says.

In a State of the Nation address in Auckland today, Seymour was upbeat about passing Act’s Treaty Principles Bill, pointing out Prime Minister Christopher Luxon had made him Associate Minister of Justice this week, with responsibility for the bill.

“I have a very simple belief that each of us is united by something much greater than any kind of history or culture - that is, universal humanity.

The three governing parties of National, Act and NZ First are facing issues concerning Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi early in the year. Photo / Mark Mitchell

“The same rights, the same dignities for every person. And that is what has driven all the good movements in human history – votes for women, the civil rights movement in America, and the end of apartheid in South Africa, along with the rights of people of different sexualities … that’s what I believe,” he said in the speech at the Westhaven Marina.

When it comes to the Treaty, Seymour said, the country can either believe it created a partnership between races, as some say, or as the the Māori version reads, “ngā tikanga katoa rite tahi” – the same rights and duties. That is the fundamental question, he said.

He blamed the division around the Treaty on unelected bureaucrats and judges promoting a “partnership” interpretation of our founding document.

The speech was made at the start of the new political year, when Māori issues are being dominated by discussions on the Treaty of Waitangi, especially between Māori and the new three-party governing coalition of National, Act and NZ First, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

Speaking at Rātana this week, Luxon made it clear National won’t support the Treaty Principles Bill past the select committee stage.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters lead the Government delegation on to the marae at Rātana Pā. Photo / Mark Mitchell

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“We’re part of a coalition Government. We made a commitment that we would support a first reading of an Act bill up until [the] first reading and nothing beyond that ... I don’t know how to be any clearer,” Luxon said.

Today, Seymour said the first article of the Treaty means there must be one law and Government.

The second article says we have a right to “tino rangatiratanga” - self-determination. “We argue it should apply to everybody,” Seymour said, and added that was backed up by the third article, which says we have “ngā tikanga katoa rite tahi” - the same rights and duties.

“Our bill means Parliament would legislate that those are the principles, and that means that we are not a partnership between races.

“We are not people who have to look at our family tree to find out how we fit in. We’re all New Zealanders with the same basic rights, and with that platform, constitutionally, we can get stuck into tackling the real problems and challenges that New Zealanders face,” he said.