Summarised by Centrist
ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill was officially torched in Parliament this afternoon, with just 11 votes in favour and 112 against.
National confirmed it would not support the bill past its second reading, killing off an ACT proposal that aimed to set out how the Treaty of Waitangi is interpreted in law.
Māori–Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka called it “cremation day and nehu [burial] day,” telling reporters: “It’s dead, it’s gone and today it will be buried.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not attend the debate, prompting accusations of cowardice from Labour leader Chris Hipkins. “He signed New Zealand up to this debate… and now he’s running away,”
Hipkins said. Greens co-leader Marama Davidson said Luxon’s absence was “divisive.” New Zealand First leader Winston Peters also missed the debate, citing overseas travel.
Te Pāti Māori’s Rawiri Waititi took a victory lap: “This is about celebrating the mobilisation of our people… the most important part of this whole process.”
In a statement to supporters, Seymour wrote:
“What the Bill’s opponents have failed to accept is that the question isn’t going away: Is New Zealand a tribal society where your rights depend on your ancestry, or a liberal democracy where everyone has the same rights?
“It will only be answered when Parliament decides to fill a decades-long void and define the principles of the Treaty so that New Zealanders are equal before the law.
Read more over at The Guardian and RNZ
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