Christopher Luxon accuses David Seymour of 'not helping' the Government

Thursday, 14 November 2024

PM Christopher Luxon addresses Treaty Principles Bill before heading to Apec.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says David Seymour is “not helping” the Government focus on hard issues for New Zealanders by campaigning for ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill.

The controversial bill, which seeks a referendum to rewrite the Government’s “Treaty Principles”, will be read in the House for the first time on Thursday afternoon with grudging support from the National Party, which agreed in coalition negotiations with ACT to support through an initial vote in the House.

In campaigning for the bill in recent days, ACT leader and Cabinet minister Seymour has said the National Party was not willing to take on the “hard issues”. Luxon has also been criticised for both relenting on his pre-election commitment not to support the bill, and for not being present at Parliament on Thursday as he leaves for an APEC meeting in Peru.

However, shortly before leaving and hours before the bill was to enter the House, the prime minister held a press conference and directly criticised Seymour.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon upped his criticism of ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill as it was set to enter the House, on Thursday.

“Well, I saw his comments, and I just say the hard issues are, in fact, the hard things that Kiwis are dealing with right now. And what they're dealing with is a cost of living. What they're dealing with is the threat of losing their jobs. What they're dealing with is rising crime. What they've been dealing with is an education system that's failing kids,” he said.

“That's what the National Party is focused on, we're focused on dealing with hard issues, and frankly, a Treaty Principles Bill that's simplistic, that hopes to rewrite the debate and discussion of 184 years with the stroke of a pen is not the way forward.”

Luxon said it was a “tough time” for Kiwis, and the Treaty Principles Bill was “not helping” the Government get the country “back on track”, using the National Party’s 2023 election slogan.

“It doesn't help … I'm trying to be really pragmatic, and I have been from day one as a new prime minister, saying to you, we have formed a three party coalition. We agree on 90% of our approach around what we're doing … We have a compromise here.

Seymour accused National of not wanting to take on the hard issues.

“There's no screaming, shouting, ranting, raving, high tension behind the scenes. It's just acknowledging we've got a difference.”

Luxon said while there would be “rhetoric and language on all sides of this debate”, the National Party was united in its view that Treaty issues should be dealt with “case-by-case”.

“The debate and discussion between Māori and the Crown, and the obligations that we have to each other, is something that we have wrestled with and grappled with in this country, as I said, for 184 years.

“We have obligations under the Treaty to uphold, we also have obligations to ensure that there are equal rights for New Zealanders. And in that, there's some inherent tension, right? And that is what we wrestle with.

“But you can't come down on one side and say it's all equal rights and we dismiss what our obligations are with the Treaty … So we have a sensible approach. We have a consistent approach.”

The bill has sparked widespread opposition and a protest hīkoi was on Thursday morning walking through Waikato towards Wellington, expected to reach Parliament on Tuesday - the earlier date for its first reading in the House, before the Government brought it forward to this week.