New Zealand’s controversial bill to reinterpret treaty with Māori should be scrapped, committee finds

In 2024, huge protests were held in New Zealand in support of Māori rights and protecting the interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi. Photograph: Joe Allison/Getty Images

A parliamentary committee has recommended a bill that seeks to radically reinterpret New Zealand’s founding treaty between Māori tribes and the British Crown should not proceed.

The treaty principles bill, which was introduced to parliament by the minor coalition Act party, seeks to abandon a set of well-established principles that guide the relationship between Māori and ruling authorities in favour of its own redefined principles.