A few weeks ago I wrote about how I supported the treaty principles being put forward by ACT because the treaty is a liberal document. The abstraction of the treaty into universal liberal rights was inevitable and a natural consequence of how great men of the past like Rev Henry Williams and Sir Āpirana Ngata viewed the document.
The principles agreed to by cabinet take us back from that precipice. The first and third principles remain identical in substance, although more verbose. If these principles are put into law, then engaging with the treaty in the 21st century requires all activists to acknowledge that the government is legitimate and it has the right to govern this country and make laws.
