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ACT's Treaty Principles Bill would confirm in law that all New Zealanders have equal rights, as promised by the Treaty of Waitangi.
Register your support for the Treaty Principles Bill. We'll keep you updated on the campaign, and your backing makes it easier to persuade Parliament to support the Bill to a referendum.
Share the campaign
ACT believes every child born in New Zealand deserves the same respect and dignity, including equality before the law.
The Treaty Principles Bill would restore the mana of our founding document by ensuring it delivers what it originally promised in 1840: nga tikanga katoa rite tahi – the same rights and duties for all New Zealanders.
The three Treaty Principles proposed in the Bill are based on the three Articles of the Treaty.
Principle 1: Civil Government
The Government of New Zealand has full power to govern, and Parliament has full power to make laws. They do so in the best interests of everyone, and in accordance with the rule of law and the maintenance of a free and democratic society.
Principle 2: Rights of Hapū and Iwi Māori
The Crown recognises, and will respect and protect, the rights that hapū and iwi Māori had under the Treaty of Waitangi at the time they signed it. If those rights differ from the rights of everyone, it will only be when agreed in the settlement of a historical treaty claim under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975.
Principle 3: Right to Equality
Everyone is equal before the law and is entitled to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. Everyone is entitled to the equal enjoyment of the same fundamental human rights without discrimination.
The Treaty stood for 135 years until 1975 when the then-Labour Government passed the Treaty of Waitangi Act. The Treaty of Waitangi Act stated the Treaty had principles, and it was the job of the Waitangi Tribunal to interpret them. Since then, the Tribunal, the courts, and the public service have gradually built up the principles, but New Zealanders as a whole have never been democratically consulted on these Treaty principles.
The Treaty Principles Bill will not change the Treaty itself. That was set in 1840 and will remain forever. What we are seeking to do is continue the process of defining the Treaty principles, for the first time incorporating the voices of all people through a democratic Parliamentary process, instead of through the Tribunal or the courts.