The new government will support a Treaty Principles Bill based on existing ACT policy through to select committee, it was revealed today.
Race relations in Aotearoa loomed large during the election campaign, with the Treaty of Waitangi and co-governance hot topics.
That is reflected in the agreements that were signed today, with the parties deciding to pull back on a number of policies relating to Māori introduced by the Labour government.
Co-governance in the delivery of public services will go under the new government.
The parties agreed to restore the right to referendums should a council want to introduce Māori wards – including a referendum on any wards established at the next local body elections.
In ACT and National’s agreement, they agreed to “ensure government contracts are awarded based on value, without racial discrimination”.
One of ACT’s lead policies during the election was to hold a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi principles. As part of their agreement with National, the next government will “introduce a Treaty Principles Bill based on existing ACT policy and support it to a Select Committee as soon as practicable".
The new Treaty Negotiations Minister will be Paul Goldsmith, who raised eyebrows in 2021 for his comment that colonisation "on balance" was a good thing for Māori.
The Māori Health Authority, Te Aka Whai Ora, will be disestablished.
All public service departments will have their "primary name" in English - unless it’s specifically related to Māori.
All public services will be required to primarily communicate in English – unless it’s specifically related to Māori - and the NZ First agreement highlights legislating to make English an official language of New Zealand.
The Māori and Pacific Admission Scheme (MAPAS) at Otago University will go under the microscope.
The incoming government will “confirm that the Coalition Government does not recognise the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as having any binding legal effect on New Zealand”.
New Zealand First wants to amend the Waitangi Tribunal legislation to “refocus the scope, purpose, and nature of its inquiries back to the original intent of that legislation”.
They will also: “Conduct a comprehensive review of all legislation (except when it is related to, or substantive to, existing full and final Treaty settlements) that includes ‘The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi’ and replace all such references with specific words relating to the relevance and application of the Treaty, or repeal the references."
All work on He Puapua will be stopped.
SHARE ME