Is there going to be a referendum? The Treaty Principles Bill explained
The door has not been completely closed on ACT’s proposed Treaty referendum — so what is the new government proposing?
ACT leader David Seymour once said a referendum on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi was a “bottom line” for his party in any coalition government.
While ACT didn’t get that commitment in its coalition agreement with National and New Zealand First, it has managed to wrangle some initial support for its Treaty Principles Bill.
ACT’s coalition partners have both only committed to supporting the bill to the select committee stage, meaning it’s unlikely to progress further than that — however that still leaves the door slightly ajar for a potential referendum. It also leaves the door wide open to public debate on the Treaty and its principles.
Originally the new Hard Right Racist Government had down played and written off the possibility of a Referendum but as the fine print was studied, it’s become clear and apparent that a Referendum is absolutely still possible based on what the Select Committee that will be stacked with Government votes says.
Democracy is a process, not a moral arbiter, true political courage and democratic value comes from leaders who are prepared to stand above the bigotry of their own supporters, not pander and appease that bigotry!
A Treaty is there to be honoured, not settled.
To open a legislative process that will strip Māori of their legal rights and Treaty values is a direct assault on our Treaty and a refusal to reform 19th century white settler privilege.
This will be a legislative attempt to make colonisation legal.
The damage this is about cause NZ will generate a level of civil disobedience that will make the Parliament Lawn protest look mild.
You’ve seen the first week of this brazen Government in effect, their inability to see anything wrong with sacking 8000 people before Christmas, more submachine guns, more over the counter meth precursors, tobacco deaths for tax cuts and stripping $555million from the poorest families tells you everything you need to know about how tone deaf they will be to the risks they are about to unleash.
This is a dreadful Government for a dreadful people.
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The Government,the coalition,the people’s choice.
Bringing death to a house near you.
Yes. And what a shit show so far.
The bought election…
A classic example that wealth does not equal intelligence..
Where was the box that said “I want these three wankers to lead the country”. There was no people’s choice for a coalition at all.
The cancel culture has reached a new government: Cancel; Cultural reports, gang patches, co-government, 3 waters, cell phones in classrooms, income insurance, Auckland fuel tax, clean car discount, Wellington moving, Maori health, Auckland rail project, health education, smoking reduction plans, fair employment, etc.
Need to build more jails to house the violent protesters a referendum would trigger first.
The bullshit about supposedly ‘making the treaty more democratic’ is a con job.
This is ACT attempting to remove legislative roadblocks to privatisation. Nothing more, nothing less.
ACTing for their donors, not the general public as they purport.
Look beyond the rhetoric. Follow the money.
Already the Coalition of Clowns has unambiguously revealed who it’s working for: it’s donors!
Transnational Tobacco, Real Estate, Trucking Companies (they’ve floated clsoing the railway north of Napier)…etc etc.
Workers should be very concerned about what’s happening.
The idea that democracy has anything to do with the treaty is a red herring. The treaty is an agreement between 2 parties and just like my agreement with a builder to build me a house can’t be changed by a bunch of people having a vote I don’t see how the treaty can be changed unless both parties agree to do so. I’m not sure why this hasn’t been discussed but maybe they can just make new legislation that declares the treaty to be less important than is currently is
Some people (Palmer, Cooke, academics, activists and politicians) spent the last 50 years just making new legislation that declares the treaty to be more important than is actually is.
I will soon be a comfortably retired mortgage free white boomer. But my children are maori and my grandson is on the road to being bilingual. My old broken body will be on the streets supporting any resistance against attacks on the integrity of the Treaty.
I will soon be a comfortably retired mortgage free white boomer. But my children are maori and my grandson is on the road to being bilingual. My old broken body will be on the streets supporting any resistance against attacks on the integrity of the Treaty.
I don’t recall another Right wing Government in my life time.
This voters in NZ are far more comfortable with centrist Governments any day.
Another 2 years and 11 months until we return to normality.
Its just a 6 year reset before Labour.
Its more back to the centre than hard right.
Just get back to the intent of the Treaty in 1840. Three simple Articles. Forget about “partnership”, from which “co-governance” evolved. They only became fashionable from the 1970’s.
So Maori get back all the stuff that was taken from them? All those treasures that were guaranteed?
I did a workshop on the treaty earlier this year and it turns out that (amongst other things) it allowed for Maori to Govern Maori and for Queen Victoria’s representative to govern Pakeha. “Co-governance” has become a phrase that make people react violently but when you actually read The Treaty (AND Te Tiriti) it certainly looks like a form of co governance.
While it probably seemed sensible to them at the time the treaty was actually 2 documents in English and Maori so the logical decision to honour the version that the Maori leaders signed is what causes problems with the colonial types who want to keep their material advantage gained by the theft of Maori land since that time
Well that’s a bit bloody simplistic isn’t it. The three articles didn’t mention “by the way I the Crown will help myself to your land and generally stuff you over”. What became fashionable was trying to address that theft.
It depends on whose intent you are talking about afaf. I am sure our Māori whanau did not sign a treaty document to be continually trampled. As for the concept of partnership, there has never been a true partnership as Pakeha has mostly taken and claimed everything they can get and more. In the early 70s when I was at college the TOW was being called a fraud and our people were made to feel ashamed to be Māori. This will never happen again our people will not allow it to, and we cannot and will not go backwards no matter who’s in government. There are calls from Maoridom for our people to unite, mobilize and prepare for a fight and we will. One of our Māori leaders has called this a Rangiriri moment, while another has referred to the manifestos (of those in power) akin to a declaration of war on Māori. This is shaping up to be a very controversial and difficult three years. Governments come and go but we as a people will be going nowhere the colonisers have tried to wipe us out before and failed.
Unfortunately the Treaty has become very political in the last 40 years. It is twisted to suit the various positions of whoever is using it at the time. To the point of always highlighting there are 2 versions with opposing meanings on very important issues. Maybe it is time to define the actual meaning and have 1 version. Debate is a good thing unless you can not defend your position. Having said that I don’t believe a referendum is a fair way to decide, but debate is good. Maybe Maori can convince skeptics that their cause is just because right now they are losing that debate.
It depends on whose intent you are talking about afaf. I am sure our Māori whanau did not sign a treaty document to be continually trampled. As for the concept of partnership, there has never been a true partnership as Pakeha has mostly taken and claimed everything they can get and more. In the early 70s when I was at college the TOW was being called a fraud and our people were made to feel ashamed to be Māori. This will never happen again our people will not allow it to, and we cannot and will not go backwards no matter who’s in government. There are calls from Maoridom for our people to unite, mobilize and prepare for a fight and we will. One of our Māori leaders has called this a Rangiriri moment, while another has referred to the manifestos (of those in power) akin to a declaration of war on Māori. This is shaping up to be a very controversial and difficult three years. Governments come and go but we as a people will be going nowhere the colonisers have tried to wipe us out before and failed.
Time’s up for the deadwood. Cry me a river.
It depends on whose intent you are talking about afaf. I am sure our Māori whanau did not sign a treaty document to be continually trampled. As for the concept of partnership, there has never been a true partnership as Pakeha has mostly taken and claimed everything they can get and more. In the early 70s when I was at college the TOW was being called a fraud and our people were made to feel ashamed to be Māori. This will never happen again our people will not allow it to, and we cannot and will not go backwards no matter who’s in government. There are calls from Maoridom for our people to unite, mobilize and prepare for a fight and we will. One of our Māori leaders has called this a Rangiriri moment, while another has referred to the manifestos (of those in power) akin to a declaration of war on Māori. This is shaping up to be a very controversial and difficult three years. Governments come and go but we as a people will be going nowhere the colonisers have tried to wipe us out before and failed.
It depends on whose intent you are talking about afaf. I am sure our Māori whanau did not sign a treaty document to be continually trampled. As for the concept of partnership, there has never been a true partnership as Pakeha has mostly taken and claimed everything they can get and more. In the early 70s when I was at college the TOW was being called a fraud and our people were made to feel ashamed to be Māori. This will never happen again our people will not allow it to, and we cannot and will not go backwards no matter who’s in government. There are calls from Maoridom for our people to unite, mobilize and prepare for a fight and we will. One of our Māori leaders has called this a Rangiriri moment, while another has referred to the manifestos (of those in power) akin to a declaration of war on Māori. This is shaping up to be a very controversial and difficult three years. Governments come and go but we as a people will be going nowhere the colonisers have tried to wipe us out before and failed.