I believe the bill to be better than the status quo. It has already been stated that the bill will not pass, so I make my comments in line with that expectation.
The principles set forward are accurate to both the text and the liberalism of the 19th century that birthed it. I am sympathetic to the view that the Treaty has no principles, since it is a simple document, however the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 establishes that there are principles and so this clarification is necessary as long as the 1975 act remains in force. I also support the requirement for a referendum before the bill comes into force due to the constitutional nature of the matter and the need to settle this debate by a direct democratic majority of voters.
I oppose the current way the Treaty is being manipulated in New Zealand, yet I am concerned the Treaty Principles Bill undermines New Zealand’s historic identity. The ACT Party’s pitch for the bill is that New Zealand is to be a ‘modern multi-ethnic liberal democracy’. This language erases the fact New Zealand was founded by British settlers along with other Europeans and Māori. The multi-ethnic talking point also feeds into a mass migration narrative where anybody can come and go without care for New Zealand’s founding populations.
This has already led to the displacement and disenfranchisement of many New Zealanders (both European and Māori), priced out of owning a home and their wages suppressed due to having to compete with the rest of the world for jobs and land.
The sentiment behind this bill is therefore a subversive and corrosive one. The term ‘everyone’ used four times in the bill ought to have been replaced with ‘all New Zealanders’ so as not to imply that the bill applies to the entire globe. In addition, the continuation of this conversation must include the recognition that, alongside Māori, the descendants of the New Zealand settlers who built this country have a special place in New Zealand. The government should be bound to protect their interests on matters of immigration, religion, housing and wages.
Submissions close at midnight on Tuesday 7th January 2025: https://www.parliament.nz/en/ECommitteeSubmission/54SCJUST_SCF_227E6D0B-E632-42EB-CFFE-08DCFEB826C6/CreateSubmission
