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Te Pāti Māori to demand a new Te Tiriti Commission overruling Parliament

Author
Adam Pearse,
Publish Date
Tue, 4 Feb 2025, 2:50pm
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer announce a new policy at Waitangi. Photo / Dean Purcell
Te P膩ti M膩ori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer announce a new policy at Waitangi. Photo / Dean Purcell

Te Pāti Māori to demand a new Te Tiriti Commission overruling Parliament

Author
Adam Pearse,
Publish Date
Tue, 4 Feb 2025, 2:50pm
  • will demand a parliamentary commissioner to overrule legislation violating Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
  • Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer announced the policy, emphasising M膩ori voices in decision-making.
  • The commissioner would audit government actions and assess legislation, ensuring alignment with Te Tiriti.

Te P膩ti M膩ori will demand the establishment of a new parliamentary commissioner with the power to overrule Parliament if proposed legislation violates Te Tiriti o Waitangi, should they form part of a government.

Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer announced the new policy to journalists ahead of their p艒whiri at Waitangi, where they are today being welcomed on to the Treaty Grounds alongside members of Waikato-Tainui and the K墨ngitanga.

In a statement released alongside the media stand-up, Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer said their party would campaign on creating an independent Parliamentary Commissioner, who they described as an 鈥渁dvocate ensuring that Te Tiriti is honoured across all government policies and decisions made in Parliament鈥.

鈥淭he commissioner would have the role of auditing the government in being honourable of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It will provide independent advice to Parliament, and ensure M膩ori voices are central to decision-making processes,鈥 Ngarewa-Packer said.

The statement called on all political parties to support the policy.

The co-leaders indicated the policy would be a bottom-line in any governing arrangement. Photo / Dean Purcell
The co-leaders indicated the policy would be a bottom-line in any governing arrangement. Photo / Dean Purcell

Speaking to journalists, Waititi argued the policy reflected the party鈥檚 view that the Treaty trumped the mandate that existed within a democratically-elected Parliament, stating that New Zealand鈥檚 Parliament wouldn鈥檛 exist without Te Tiriti.

The pair explained the commissioner would be able to assess proposed legislation before the House and scrap any bills that did not align with Te Tiriti, describing the role as a 鈥淭e Tiriti auditor鈥 and distinct from advice Parliament already received on bills impacting Te Tiriti.

They added the role would need to be filled by M膩ori.

Asked if the policy was a bottom-line for the party going into a governing arrangement, they both said the protection of Te Tiriti was always non-negotiable.

The proposed policy would likely receive attention at tomorrow鈥檚 p艒whiri for the remaining political parties.

Te P膩ti M膩ori would not be in Waitangi tomorrow however, with Waititi travelling to the East Coast for the tangi of Dame Iritana Te Rangi T膩whiwhirangi and Ngarewa-Packer heading to Auckland for another Waitangi Day event.

More to come

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for ob体育接口 since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whang膩rei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.

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