Ngāi Tahu has given David Seymour and the Act party a ‘swift serve’ over the Treaty Principles Bill which purports to “redefine” Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“Naïve”, “politically clumsy” and loose with the truth is how the southern iwi has described the Act leader.
“David Seymour and ACT are misconstruing history. You can’t have a reasonable debate with a person or party who distorts the truth,” Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu kaiwhakahaere (chair) Justin Tipa said Friday in a release.
“ACT’s true purpose is a direct attack on tino rangatiratanga, guaranteed to iwi and hapū in Article II of the Treaty.”
The Ngāi Tahu leader elaborated on this in a news item on the iwi’s website, highlighting Act’s designs on watering down rangatiratanga under the bill.
“If we cut right to the heart of why Māori are so incensed by the Coalition Government’s Treaty Principles Bill, it comes down to rangatiratanga.
“One of ACT’s original treaty principle ‘definitions’ suggested that ‘tino rangatiratanga’ applies to individual citizens and boils down to a protection of property rights. This was a deliberate attempt to define rangatiratanga out of existence.
“Now, in its latest attempt, ACT suggests if iwi and hapū are to exercise rangatiratanga (authority) – as guaranteed in Article II of the Treaty of Waitangi – that may only be done with express permission of the State.
“The irony is that while ACT claims to support small government, it cannot handle the idea of iwi exercising authority over their own affairs, something that by its very nature reduces reliance on central government.”
Act ‘not equipped’ to lead conversation
Tipa said Ngāi Tahu is interested in uplifting its people, not a pointless discussion that Act is ill-suited to lead.
“ACT’s claim that it wants to increase certainty in the law is a smoke screen. If that was really the case, David Seymour’s announcement last week wouldn’t have been the blunder that it was, with even his own officials warning the Bill introduces more uncertainty into our constitutional arrangements,” the rūnanga chair said in his release.
“The Treaty Principles Bill is a great example of why the ACT Party is not equipped to lead us in important conversations about our identity as New Zealanders, or where we are heading as a country. Seymour’s efforts are naïve, politically clumsy, and ultimately unproductive for New Zealand.”
He said discussion should be focused on exciting not divisive kōrero.
“Rangatiratanga is not mysterious. It is a fact of life in New Zealand, and it is not going anywhere. Parliament’s role is to protect and respect it, not allow politicians to paint over it in their party colours,” Tipa said on the website.
“Ngāi Tahu is less interested in arguing about what it is, and more focused on how we exercise it for the benefit of our people and all New Zealanders. We should be having exciting discussions about the practical ways in which rangatiratanga can contribute to solving the housing crisis, addressing the infrastructure deficit, and empowering local communities to govern and manage their affairs in innovative ways.
“Instead, officials and Parliament will now spend the next nine months on a pointless, divisive and expensive discussion of a Bill that the Prime Minister has said will be thrown out in May next year.”
Tipa said Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister, NZ First’s Winston Peters, had let the situation get out of hand.
“I cannot see how the principles of the Treaty can be unilaterally redefined by Parliament without irreparably damaging the premises on which Treaty Settlements were agreed. I believe Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters understand that, but they have allowed this to progress too far.”
Ngāi Tahu promoting ‘productive conversation’
In the meantime, Ngāi Tahu will look to unify the country, Tipa said on the iwi’s website.
“While Parliament wastes its time on that, Ngāi Tahu intends to provide a platform for a genuinely productive conversation about how rangatiratanga can make us a more successful, productive, and united country.
“That is why this October we are hosting ‘Te Pūnuiotoka’, a hui ā motu for iwi and hapū leaders, to discuss how we as iwi and hapū can harness and develop the practical potential of rangatiratanga, for the benefit of our people, the development of our regions, and the prosperity of our nation.”
Bill establishes ‘same rights’ for all New Zealanders - Seymour
Earlier this month, Seymour reiterated, “The purpose of the Treaty Principles Bill is for Parliament to define the principles of the Treaty, provide certainty and clarity, and promote a national conversation about their place in our constitutional arrangements,” he said.
“Far from being a divisive document, the Treaty is a powerful guide for New Zealand’s future, establishing that all New Zealanders have the same rights and duties, and that the government has a duty to protect those rights.
“I’m looking forward to this important national conversation.”
The Act leader said it’s “wrong” for iwi to have different political rights.
“What is controversial to – and opposed by – many New Zealanders is any interpretation of tino rangatiratanga that delivers different groups different political rights based on ancestry. Act believes this is wrong, and inconsistent with a multi-ethnic liberal democracy.”