An Aotearoa built on the foundations of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The Green Party will whakamana Te Tiriti o Waitangi and uphold tino rangatiratanga, for the wellbeing of tangata whenua and tangata moana.
Nearly two centuries of land dispossession enabled by Crown policy has caused an underlying, deep, foundational harm that Māori continue to experience to this day. We see it in everything from the harm that has been done to our natural world, and the effects of homelessness, health and education inequities.
Aotearoa can be a place where Te Tiriti o Waitangi is embraced and Māori are resourced to lead solutions that improve the wellbeing of whānau, the environment and our natural ecosystems.
The Crown must go further to address past wrongs, and must uphold a fair, tika and equitable process for returning stolen land back to iwi, hapū, marae and whānau.
The Green Party understands that Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the foundation for an enduring constitutional partnership. We acknowledge the need for ongoing dialogue to build the high level of awareness, understanding and vision required to give life to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in Aotearoa.
Our plan
- Facilitate the return of whenua that was wrongfully alienated from tangata whenua, including through exploring a right of first refusal process that enables the return of private land to iwi, hapū and whānau at point of sale.
- End perpetual leases on whenua Māori.
- Increase resourcing for the Waitangi Tribunal for both kaupapa inquiries and historical inquiries.
- End the ‘large natural grouping’ approach to Treaty settlements and validate hapū rangatiratanga.
- Implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in Aotearoa.
- Grant the Waitangi Tribunal the necessary powers to make findings and recommendations in relation to private land.
- Empower the Waitangi Tribunal to make binding recommendations for the return of Crown Land to iwi, whānau and hapū.
- Support tikanga-led processes to resolve iwi, hapū and whānau level disputes about land management and claims under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.