• Te Pāti Māori will demand a parliamentary commissioner to overrule legislation violating Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
• Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer announced the policy, emphasising Māori voices in decision-making.
• The commissioner would audit government actions and assess legislation, ensuring alignment with Te Tiriti.

Te Pāti Māori will demand the establishment of a new parliamentary commissioner with the power to overrule Parliament if proposed legislation violates Te Tiriti o Waitangi, should they form part of a government.

Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer announced the new policy to journalists ahead of their pōwhiri at Waitangi, where they are today being welcomed on to the Treaty Grounds alongside members of Waikato-Tainui and the Kīngitanga.

In a statement released alongside the media stand-up, Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer said their party would campaign on creating an independent Parliamentary Commissioner, who they described as an “advocate ensuring that Te Tiriti is honoured across all government policies and decisions made in Parliament”.

“The commissioner would have the role of auditing the government in being honourable of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It will provide independent advice to Parliament, and ensure Māori voices are central to decision-making processes,” Ngarewa-Packer said.

The statement called on all political parties to support the policy.

The co-leaders indicated the policy would be a bottom-line in any governing arrangement. Photo / Dean Purcell

Speaking to journalists, Waititi argued the policy reflected the party’s view that the Treaty trumped the mandate that existed within a democratically-elected Parliament, stating that New Zealand’s Parliament wouldn’t exist without Te Tiriti.

The pair explained the commissioner would be able to assess proposed legislation before the House and scrap any bills that did not align with Te Tiriti, describing the role as a “Te Tiriti auditor” and distinct from advice Parliament already received on bills impacting Te Tiriti.

They added the role would need to be filled by Māori.

Asked if the policy was a bottom-line for the party going into a governing arrangement, they both said the protection of Te Tiriti was always non-negotiable.

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The proposed policy would likely receive attention at tomorrow’s pōwhiri for the remaining political parties.

Te Pāti Māori would not be in Waitangi tomorrow however, with Waititi travelling to the East Coast for the tangi of Dame Iritana Te Rangi Tāwhiwhirangi and Ngarewa-Packer heading to Auckland for another Waitangi Day event.

More to come

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.