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# The rise of Treaty ideology in NZ’s professional sectors
- URL: https://goodoil.news/the-rise-of-treaty-ideology-in-nzs-professional-sectors/
- Published: 2025-03-02T09:42:20.000Z
- Updated: 2025-03-02T19:50:12.000Z
- Description: What do midwives, internet regulators, and pharmacists have in common?
- Author: Centrist
- Tags: News

Summarised by [Centrist](http://centrist.nz/?ref=goodoil.news)

**From midwifery to internet governance and pharmacy regulations, a growing number of industry bodies are embedding partisan ideological commitments to Te Tiriti o Waitangi into their rules.** 

**Critics argue that this is often at the expense of professional competence and neutrality.**

Midwives are now expected to pledge allegiance to Treaty principles, with the New Zealand College of Midwives circulating a [Tangata Tiriti Checklist](https://nwo.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/The-Tangata-Tiriti-Checklist.pdf?ref=goodoil.news) urging non-Māori midwives to “actively and vocally oppose the Treaty Principles Bill and any other disrespect toward the legal and political status of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.” 

The checklist also calls for midwives to “share power, or cede power to mana whenua” and support a “Tiriti-centred constitution.” ACT MP Todd Stephenson has criticised this shift, arguing that midwives’ responsibility should be to their patients, not political activism.

> The responsibility of a midwife should be to the patient – not to the Treaty, mana whenua, or any political campaign.  
>  
> However, the New Zealand College of Midwives has distributed a ‘Tangata Tiriti Checklist’ flyer to its members, which asks non-Māori midwives to agree to… [pic.twitter.com/e0LgtAan3w](https://t.co/e0LgtAan3w?ref=goodoil.news)
> 
> — Todd Stephenson MP (@toddmstephenson) [February 28, 2025](https://twitter.com/toddmstephenson/status/1895318807746617781?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=goodoil.news)

InternetNZ, which manages the .nz domain registry, is pushing a new constitution that mandates co-governance, requiring at least a third of its board to be Māori and barring members who do not support its Treaty-centric mission. In response, membership [reportedly](https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/01/internetnz%5Fconstitution/?utm%5Fsource=Klaviyo&utm%5Fmedium=email&%5Fkx=) tripled within a week, as critics joined to vote down what they see as an ideological takeover and a threat to democratic governance.

Don Brash of Hobson’s Pledge warns that this could lead to ideological gatekeeping in internet governance, potentially jeopardising access to domain names for organisations that dissent from this worldview. Hobson’s Pledge also backed realtor [Janet Dickson’s failed court challenge after she lost her licnese for five years for refusing a mandatory Māori tikanaga course](https://centrist.nz/real-estate-agent-loses-legal-battle-over-mandatory-maori-tikanga-course/?ref=goodoil.news).

The health sector is also seeing a push for cultural mandates. The New Zealand Pharmacy Council has introduced [requirements for pharmacists](https://centrist.nz/pharmacists-revolt-over-racist-woke-cultural-mandates-minister-steps-in/?ref=goodoil.news) to be “confident” in performing waiata, prioritising Māori voices, and integrating Māori health models into their practice. 

Critics argue that these expectations distract from core medical expertise, raising concerns about declining professional standards.

**Read more over at** [**Bassett, Brash, and Hide**](https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/don-brash-from-the-internet-to-medicines-nothing-in-new-zealand-is-safe-from-treaty-mania?ref=goodoil.news) **and** [**X**](https://x.com/toddmstephenson/status/1895318807746617781?ref=goodoil.news)

Image: [RobbieIanMorrison](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:RobbieIanMorrison?ref=goodoil.news)

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