Peaceful Māori Hikoi Advances - In Pictures

Plus a quick cheatsheet on what's wrong with the Treaty Principles Bill

Today the Hikoi moves from Whangarei and makes its way to Auckland

Flag: McKinley Rd Creatives

For official updates and information, including schedules, go to:

https://toitutetiriti.co.nz/

---

The Waitangi Tribunal Cheat Sheet:

When asked what the Treaty Principles Bill contravenes these are some of the points highlighted by our judiciary:

• The Crown's process to develop the Bill has purposefully excluded any consultation with Māori, breaching the principle of partnership, the Crown's good-faith obligations, and the Crown's duty to actively protect Māori rights and interests

• This policy process is in breach of the principle of good government, as Cabinet has decided to progress the Bill despite it being a policy that is not evidence-based, has not been adequately tested, has not been consulted upon, and fails regulatory standards

• The proposed content of the Bill does not reflect the texts or meaning of the Treaty/te Tiriti

• Principle 1 misinterprets the kāwanatanga granted to the Crown in 1840, which is not an unbridled power restrained only by its own sense of what is in the best interests of everyone

• Cabinet's approval of Principle 2 for introduction in a Bill was found to be a breach of the principles of tino rangatiratanga, kāwanatanga, partnership, and active protection

• Principle 2, if enacted, would revoke the promises and guarantees the Queen made to Māori in 1840

• Principle 3 bears no resemblance to the meaning of article 3 and that Cabinet's decision to introduce the principle in a Bill was a breach of the Treaty/te Tiriti principles of partnership, equity, and active protection

• These breaches caused significant prejudice to Māori

• Māori would be particularly prejudiced by the extinguishment of tino rangatiratanga in a legal sense if the Bill were to be enacted

• The new principles would advance the discredited agenda of assimilation, as they are designed to end the distinct status of Māori as the indigenous people of this country

• Even if the Bill were not enacted, Cabinet's decision to introduce the Bill would prejudice Māori by further damaging the Māori-Crown relationship, and Māori would feel the brunt of the social disorder and division, including through the select committee process.

It has also been called a "politically motivated" attack on perceived 'Māori privilege'", would "drastically alter" the meaning of the Treaty, and "risks destroying the very foundation of the constitutional arrangements of this country".

Put simply, it’s the "worst, most comprehensive breach of the Treaty/te Tiriti in modern times".

---

Related Reading: