Immediately abolish the Waitangi Tribunal

New Zealand First says it will immediately abolish the Waitangi Tribunal, replacing it with a Treaty of
Waitangi Completion Commission to deal with finalising all pre-2008 claims.

The party says the Ministry of Māori Development would take responsibility for Crown-Māori relations, as well as overseeing current treaty claims.

“Many claims before the Waitangi Tribunal are directly contesting the right of a mandated
parliament to pass laws,” it said.

“That is a direct semi-judicial threat against the very essence of our democracy… The days of the
Waitangi Tribunal acting as an authority of Parliament will be over. We will put an end to activists using the tribunal and taxpayers’ money as a platform to interfere with the direction and legislation of Parliament.”