WAATEA NEWS COLUMN Election 2026: Of course this Government is anti-Māori & anti-Treaty

As Election 2026 approaches, the debate over whether the Government is anti-Māori and anti-Treaty has moved from activist circles into the mainstream. From legislative changes to symbolic shifts, the policy direction has reshaped the relationship between the Crown and Māoridom.

The Policy Record Since 2023

Since coming to power this Government’s anti-Māori and anti-Treaty agenda has been apparent and extreme:

Key Changes to Māori and Treaty Settings

• Treaty Principles Bill
• Disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora
• Removal of Section 7AA
• Local government / co-governance rollbacks
• Resource management system reset
• Māori wards / representation rules
• Public service “needs-based not race-based” direction
• Language and naming policy shifts
• Justice and sentencing reforms
• Education policy shifts

Waitangi and the Credibility Gap

Which was why watching the Prime Minister at Waitangi reject claims that his Government is anti-Māori and anti-Treaty was so insightful in appreciating how far apart Māoridom and the Crown have become in just two short years.

Coalition Dynamics and Race Politics

The Prime Minister is trapped by ACT and NZFirst into divisive positions on race because they are cannibalising the National Party vote.

By constantly playing racially divisive rhetoric to blame the economic anxiety on Māori political aspiration, Seymour and Winston trip our politically constrained Prime Minister, time and time again into promoting woeful policy.

Would a Different National Leadership Have Taken This Path?

I just don’t for one second believe that John Key would have been so artfully played by Winston and David, and there’s simply no way he would have agreed to any of the above legislation.

John Key would have understood the social damage promoting these anti-Treaty and anti-Maori agendas would have caused the wider community. He would have told Winston to sling his hook and ACT to show greater restraint.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon has no such appreciation for social cohesion, he sees ‘bottom feeders’ getting their just deserts.

Or marmite sandwiches if their kids don’t like the controversial school lunch reforms.

Election 2026: A Referendum on the Treaty Relationship

That the Prime Minister can honestly look down the camera at Waitangi and tell the country that his Government isn’t anti-Māori or anti-Treaty when the enormous evidence is to the contrary shows little has changed in 186 years.

Whether one views the reforms as restoring “equality before the law” or as an anti-Māori and anti-Treaty shift, Election 2026 will test how New Zealand voters feel about the Crown–Māori relationship moving forward.