Stanford’s Magic Trick: Treaty of Waitangi in Education, gone
The argument was that Treaty obligations would move to the Crown. Critics say the latest education reforms prove they were simply removed.

The argument was that Treaty obligations would move to the Crown. Critics say the latest education reforms prove they were simply removed.

The Government is accused of quietly stripping Treaty protections from legislation after New Zealanders overwhelmingly rejected the Treaty Principles Bill.

The Government may have lost the public fight over the Treaty Principles Bill, but critics say it’s now dismantling te Tiriti protections quietly through changes buried across legislation.

The Waitangi Tribunal has delivered a brutal warning over the Government’s education reforms, and the Greens say Luxon can no longer hide the ideological agenda underneath them.

Labour says the Coalition Government’s approach to te Tiriti and education reform is driving Māori-Crown relations into dangerous territory. With tamariki Māori paying the price.

They didn’t announce it. They didn’t consult. Now Te Tiriti obligations across 23 laws are being quietly downgraded — and Māori were never in the room.

If Te Tiriti can be removed from education policy, what’s left is not neutral — it’s a choice about whose voice matters.

If education reform sidelines Te Tiriti, it’s not reform — it’s regression. The Tribunal hearings could force that truth into the open.
Cut the people who hold the Crown accountable to Te Tiriti — then pretend the relationship still works. That’s the play.
The Crown breached the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi when it recognised the mandate of the Whakatōhea Pre-settlement Claims…