Prime Minister walks tightrope on Treaty of Waitangi issues

Wednesday, 24 January 2024

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is walking a tightrope as he keeps his pledge to support ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill to its first reading - which he disavows as “divisive and unhelpful” - from inflaming tensions around race-relations.

Luxon is speaking on the eve of his visit to Rātana Pā for the annual political event to celebrate the birth of the church founder.

Luxon said his party backs an “aeration of the issues” around the Treaty of Waitangi principles through the six-month select committee process - but has given no “political support” to ACT’s proposed Bill.

“We live in an MMP environment in this country, and it requires us all to come together in coalition governments and make compromises. It's been very long standing … that it [ACT] has wanted to advocate for a referendum on the Treaty Principles, and likewise, there's been a long standing position from the National Party that we don't support that referendum,” he said in Wellington on Tuesday.

It comes after nearly 10,000 travelled to Ngāruawāhia, in the Waikato, answering a call from Kiingi Tuuheitia for a symbolic Te Hui-a-motu, or national unity hui, partly inspired by the coalition government’s approach towards the Treaty, on Saturday - the first of several key political events in te ao Māori this year.

Luxon, who will head to Rātana Pā on Wednesday, deflected questions about how he will front the coalition government’s policies which differ from his party’s stance but said he expects “strong voices on all sides of any debate”.

“We have three parties, we have three different [parties] we have three party leaders, we have different personalities, we have different profiles, but what is important is that we are tight on important stuff … We have had to make compromises along the way.”

Luxon made assurances that he wants to see Māori and non-Māori thriving, and said he has been meeting with Māori leaders around the country for the past year and half.

His message to those gathered at Rātana Pā would be about how the government wants to to work and partner with Māori to to deliver improved outcomes for them.

“We want to see more Māori kids doing well in school, being able to access higher paying jobs, being able to own more of their own homes. Those are the conversations that I've been involved with that I found very constructive,” he said.

ACT Party leader David Seymour on Friday rejected criticism about his proposed Bill, after a leaked briefing said it was “highly contentious”, fails to consult with Māori, and would will likely breach relevant international standards and obligations.

Political leaders on the left, including Green Party co-leader James Shaw and Labour’s Willie Jackson, have also said ACT’s policies would cause ructions, social divisions, and violence.

But Luxon - who campaigned on unifying the country - said his job was to bring everyone together.

“Let's be clear over the last six years, there's been a rising level of disunity in New Zealand. And so our job is to make sure that we can become unified, but don't mistake unity for us all sounding and being exactly the same. That's something very different. What we want is unity of purpose, where we're all wanting to go forward in this country.”