With the 2020 General Election happening this weekend, it’s important to understand what policies each party is proposing should they form a government. This week, we’re taking a look at the key policies that each party has proposed in regard to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
These lists do not constitute a full analysis of each party’s stance on Te Tiriti, however they serve as a guide to the approaches of each major party this election.
What is Te Tiriti o Waitangi?
The Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi is an agreement signed by a number of Māori chiefs and a representative of the Crown in 1840. It contains three articles that addressed issues of sovereignty, the protection of Māori taonga and established equality. However, there were a number of differences in translation between the English and Te Reo Māori versions of the treaty, and understandings of the meaning of the Treaty in practice differed. Regardless of this, the Crown over time violated both the English and Te Reo Māori versions of the Treaty, which has had a number of long-term effects such as alienation from land and culture and the degradation of taonga. Te Tiriti o Waitangi doesn’t have formal legal status in Aotearoa, however Treaty principles are referenced in a number of laws, and a commission of inquiry (the Waitangi Tribunal) has been set up to investigate treaty violations and make recommendations for settlement. So how does each party approach Te Tiriti?
Labour Party
– No specific policy toward Te Tiriti.
National Party
– Support the development of teaching resources about Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Green Party
– Implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
– Change the constitution to be based on Te Tiriti by 2040.
– Adopt the recommendations of the Waitangi Tribunal’s kaupapa inquiries.
– Implement Treaty settlements regarding co-governance of conservation land.
Act Party
– No specific policy toward Te Tiriti.
NZ First
– No specific policy toward Te Tiriti.
Māori Party
– Implement the Matike Mai recommendations to change the constitution.
– Permit local government land to be returned to Māori following treaty settlements.
– End the notion of “full and final” treaty settlements so historical claims can be revisited.
– End the requirement of negotiation with “large natural groupings”.
– Reform the settlement process and remove limits around the value of land claims.
– Make Waitangi Tribunal recommendations legally binding.
– Introduce a Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
– Make Treaty of Waitangi impact statements mandatory in legislation, executive regulations, and cabinet papers.
New Conservative Party
– Change laws to only refer to Treaty “provisions”.
– End the Waitangi Tribunal and set a deadline for settlements.
The Opportunities Party
– Resolve Treaty breaches by 2040.
– Establish a codified constitution that includes Treaty obligations.
For more information on each party’s specific policy, head to their party website, or check out policy.nz to compare parties by issue.