Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti

te tiriti o waitangi

Government announces Treaty Principles Bill by stealth

The Green Party is condemning the Government's decision to weaken te Tiriti o Waitangi references across 19 acts of Parliament, calling it the Stealth Treaty Principles Bill."New Zealanders didn't want the Treaty Principles Bill, and they sure don't want it by stealth," says Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson. "Stripping te Tiriti out of seven acts entirely and dragging the Crown's obligations in another ten down to the weakest possible standard, is a deliberate diminishment of the founding document of this...

Posted at May 15, 2026 1:50 PM by Marama Davidson

te tiriti o waitangi

Greens call on Luxon to abandon racist education reforms

The Green Party is urging Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to abandon amendments to the Education and Training Act following the Waitangi Tribunal’s scathing report on the proposed changes.“The Waitangi Tribunal has been clear: Luxon’s Government has breached its Tiriti obligations. It can no longer mask the racism in its education reforms,” says Green Party Co-leader, Marama Davidson.  “Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a promise to take the best possible care of each other. Its place in the education of our tamariki, our taonga, our...

Posted at May 15, 2026 12:04 PM by Marama Davidson

te tiriti o waitangi

Greens unveil diverse list with large Māori representation

The Green Party has announced 13 Māori candidates in its final list for the 2026 General Election with 9 in the top 20 and Marama Davidson number 1.Co-leader Marama Davidson says, “Our skilled and diverse candidate list includes Māori with strong leadership experience, working together to deliver real outcomes for whānau, hapū and iwi. “The 13 Māori candidates reflect a long standing commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi, equity and partnership. We must reflect an Aotearoa that works for everyone....

Posted at April 22, 2026 12:00 PM by Marama Davidson

te tiriti o waitangi

Government rams through sweeping changes to Te Tiriti in legislation

The Green Party is condemning the Government’s weakening of Te Tiriti o Waitangi provisions across multiple pieces of legislation. "Pushing through these sweeping changes in secret shows this Government is a dishonourable Treaty partner," says Green Party MP Tamatha Paul.  Documents seen by Paul outline Cabinet's decision to amend Treaty provisions across 23 pieces of legislation.   Under the changes, the standard of Treaty obligation would be reduced to no higher than "take into account".   Treaty references in other laws would be repealed entirely. The decisions were made in...

Posted at April 19, 2026 6:35 PM by Tamatha Paul

te tiriti o waitangi

Luxon’s Government actively neglects Māori news broadcasting

The Green Party has condemned the funding cut which has lead to the loss of the National Māori Radio news service. The news service will air for the last time tonight. “After years of harsh cuts to Māori broadcasting under Luxon’s Government, the Green Party is calling on Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka to stand up for Māori news broadcasting,” says Green Party Co-leader, Marama Davidson.  “Over the past four decades, iwi radio has played a fundamental role in broadcasting critical news, diverse voices, and community stories to whānau across the motu.  “The National Māori Radio service has always...

Posted at March 31, 2026 1:10 PM by Marama Davidson

te tiriti o waitangi

Green Party announces 14 Māori candidates in the initial candidate list for the 2026 General Election

The Green Party announces 14 Māori candidates in the Delegate List for the 2026 General Election, which will now inform the membership voting process.Co-Leader Marama Davidson says, “our diverse Māori candidates are supported by whānau, hapū and iwi, further strengthening Māori voice in the Green Party and across the motu. I am proud that our list reflects the importance of our staunch Māori candidates to our Party.” The Māori candidates on the list with their ranking number are: 1. Marama...

Posted at March 12, 2026 4:00 PM by Marama Davidson

te tiriti o waitangi

Sad day for democracy as RSB passes second reading

Despite a resounding majority of submitters opposing the Regulatory Standards Bill, Luxon’s Government has pushed it through second reading.“New Zealanders made it clear they don’t want this zombie Frankenstein of the Treaty Principles Bill. Today Christopher Luxon has chosen to ignore them,” says Green Party Co-leader, Chlöe Swarbrick. “Our country has real problems we could be fixing, but instead the Government is stroking the ACT Party’s ego by reviving and pushing through their vanity project which has failed three times...

Posted at November 04, 2025 4:37 PM by Chlöe Swarbrick

te tiriti o waitangi

Marine coastal law robs Māori of customary rights

The Green Party says the passing of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) (Customary Marine Title) Amendment Bill robs Māori of customary rights to the Takutai Moana.“This Government is selling out Māori with a Bill that prioritises profit over taonga and is another form of raupatu,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Māori-Crown relations Steve Abel.  “The Government has a duty to ensure customary rights are upheld. Instead they are diminishing Māori rights, sidelining the voices of iwi and...

Posted at October 21, 2025 9:00 PM by Steve Abel

te tiriti o waitangi

Government one step closer to legislating another raupatu

The Green Party condemns the Coalition Government passing its Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) (Customary Marine Title) Amendment Bill through its second reading, which prioritises profits over taonga.“This Bill is this Government’s most anti-Tiriti piece of legislation yet, and that’s saying something,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Māori-Crown relations, Steve Abel. “Customary rights are tino rangatiratanga in action. This Bill robs Māori of customary rights to the takutai moana, effectively denying centuries of relationship with the marine coastal...

Posted at October 09, 2025 5:05 PM by Steve Abel

te tiriti o waitangi

He maimai aroha ki a Ariki Tā Tumu Te Heuheu Tūkino VIII

The Green Party acknowledges the life, contribution and passing of Tā Tumu Te Heuheu Tūkino VIII, the ariki of Ngāti Tūwharetoa. "We are mourning Tā Tumu Te Heuheu, an unrelenting ariki who loved his whakapapa: tāngata and taiao alike," says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. “Tā Tumu was respected across Aotearoa for his kaitiakitanga, particularly as kaitiaki of Tongariro, the maunga tapu first gifted to the Crown by his ancestor Horonuku Te Heuheu Tūkino IV. “Tā Tumu’s last great battle was...

Posted at September 23, 2025 11:22 AM by Marama Davidson

te tiriti o waitangi

More than 5,300 call for restoration of Māori place names

Wellingtonians are making it clear they want Māori place names to be restored to Wellington electorates, with more than 5,300 signatures on a petition sent to the Representation Committee today by Green Party Wellington MPs Julie Anne Genter and Tamatha Paul.“The public mandate is crystal clear: the people of Wellington want the names restored,” says Green Party MP for Rongotai Julie Anne Genter. “The Rongotai electorate was changed to an English name with minimal community consultation and zero engagement with...

Posted at September 18, 2025 11:59 AM by Tamatha Paul and Julie Anne Genter

te tiriti o waitangi

Whakanuia te Arikinui, whakanuia te Kiingitanga

The Green Party celebrates te Koroneihana Tuatahi o Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, reaffirming our shared commitment to kotahitanga, our environment, and Māoritanga.“Whakanuia te Arikinui Kuini Ngawai hono i te po!,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. “Kuini Nga wai hono i te po has spoken eloquently and reassuringly a year on from losing our beloved Kiingi Tuuheitia, her beloved father. We acknowledge the enormous contribution Kiingi Tuuheitia made to Aotearoa, particularly his efforts to unify...

Posted at September 05, 2025 3:20 PM by Marama Davidson

te tiriti o waitangi

Greens launch petition to restore Te Reo electorate names in capital

Green Party Wellington MPs Julie Anne Genter and Tamatha Paul have launched a petition calling for Māori place names to be restored to Wellington electorates. This comes after the Rongotai electorate was changed to an English name with minimal community consultation and zero engagement with mana whenua. “Rongotai means ‘sound of the sea,’ it has been the Te Reo name of our electorate for almost three decades and has been taken away with next to no consultation,” says Green Party MP...

Posted at August 11, 2025 5:00 AM by Tamatha Paul and Julie Anne Genter

te tiriti o waitangi

Greens call on Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned after letter from Christian leaders

The Green Party is once again urging the Prime Minister to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill as a letter from more than 400 Christian leaders calls for the proposed legislation to be dropped.“This letter is an endorsement of Te Tiriti justice and an indictment on the Treaty Principles Bill,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Māori development, Hūhana Lyndon.  “Te Tiriti o Waitangi provides the foundation for us all to find common ground and build an Aotearoa where all of...

Posted at September 09, 2024 5:00 AM by Hūhana Lyndon and Steve Abel

te tiriti o waitangi

Greens call on Luxon to abandon Treaty Principles Bill following Waitangi Tribunal report

The Green Party is calling on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill following the Waitangi Tribunal’s scathing report on the proposed legislation. “Our Te Tiriti is a taonga. It binds us together, it should not be used to drive us apart,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Māori development, Hūhana Lyndon.  “At Waitangi, Christopher Luxon told Māori that Te Tiriti was our past, present and future. If he truly meant what he said, he would not allow...

Posted at August 16, 2024 12:30 PM by Hūhana Lyndon and Steve Abel

te tiriti o waitangi

Govt deals another blow to Maori-Crown relations

The cuts to Te Arawhiti will worsen relations between Māori and the Crown. “This is another blow to Māori and another step backwards in relations between tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti,” says the Green Party spokesperson for Māori Crown Relations Steve Abel.  “If we want to build on the important relationships that the Crown has developed with iwi over decades, and honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we need to be bolstering Māori institutions, not tearing them down or confusing their roles. ...

Posted at August 13, 2024 5:01 PM by Steve Abel

te tiriti o waitangi

Green Party announce ten Māori candidates in the initial list for the 2023 election

These candidates bring with them a vast range of experiences, knowledge and skills to this year's election. The Green Māori voice this year is strong, bold and shows the diversity of tangata whenua voices. The Māori candidates on the list with their ranking number are: #1 Marama Davidson #4 Dr. Elizabeth Kerekere  #6 Teanau Tuiono #8 Hūhana Lyndon  #13 Darleen Tana  #14 Kahurangi Carter  #16 Benjamin Doyle  #23 Reina Tuai Penney #24 Mike Davidson  #27 Rochelle Francis   This list is...

Posted at April 03, 2023 4:43 PM by Marama Davidson