Neil Sands
The controversial Treaty Principles Bill passed its first reading today after a fiery debate which saw Parliament briefly suspended when MPs opposed to the legislation performed a haka on the floor of the House.
Tensions ran high as Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke was suspended from Parliament for leading the protest and Labour’s Willie Jackson was ejected for calling the bill’s author, ACT leader David Seymour, a liar.
Speaker Gerry Brownlee struggled to maintain order as tempers flared over a bill that Labour justice spokesman Duncan Webb labelled “the most racist piece of legislation in 100 years”.
Brownlee suspended the House and cleared the public gallery when Te Pāti Māori MPs launched into the haka as votes on the bill were being recorded.
When order was eventually restored and the sitting resumed, he suspended Maipi-Clarke, describing her actions as “appallingly disrespectful”.
“Premediated actions to disrupt the House by one of its members is grossly disorderly,” he said.
Once the dust settled, the bill passed its first reading along party lines by 68 votes to 55, meaning it will now go to a six-month select committee review.
National and NZ First had agreed to support the bill to first reading as part of the coalition agreement to form government, but have both said they will vote it down at its second reading.
The bill seeks to define the principles underpinning the Treaty of Waitangi (Ti Tiriti o Waitangi), which Seymour says should be determined by Parliament, not the courts or public service.
“The democratically elected body of this Parliament has been silent,” he said.
“Nature abhors a vacuum, so Parliament’s silence has been filled by various court findings, tribunal reports and government departments having a go… [but] they afford Māori different rights to other New Zealanders.”
Seymour said he wanted to ensure equality for all New Zealanders, accusing his critics of seeking to stifle debate.
“They know that whether or not this bill becomes law in this term of Parliament, it’s only a matter of time before its logic prevails,” he said. “They say ‘kill the bill’ because they can’t kill the idea behind the bill.”
Jackson, the leader of Labour’s Māori caucus, said that the bill was “a disgusting piece of legislation… that will totally change the treaty as we know it”.
He said that by allowing the select committee review to proceed, National was “allowing David Seymour to go on a six-month hate tour”.
Jackson said he had a message from Seymour from the hikoi which has attracted thousands of protestors opposed to the bill.
“You fuel hatred and misinformation in this country. You bring out the worst in New Zealanders. You should be ashamed of yourself and you are a liar,” he said, prompting Brownlee to eject him when he refused to withdraw the remark and apologise.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was on government business overseas and not present for the debate, but made his feelings about the bill clear earlier this week.
“There isn’t anything I like… I understand the immense frustration within Māoridom around this Treaty Principles Bill, I get that,” he told reporters.
Speaking on Luxon’s behalf during question time on Thursday, Finance Minister Nicola Willis reiterated National’s intention to vote down the bill after the select committee process.
“I do not think it makes sense or will be enduring for Parliament to simply set down its interpretation of the treaty and then seek a majority of the public to confirm it in a referendum,” she said. “That is a crude way to handle a very delicate subject.”
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