Axe to the Treaty: The Coalition's Vicious Attack on Māori Rights
By Dr Harpreet Singh | drhsinghnz.substack.com | FB: @Dr.Harpreet.Singh.NZ
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The following is a brief summary of the deliberate and systematic legislative moves by the current National, ACT, and NZ First government, demonstrating the speed and breadth of the rollback of Māori rights, protections, and representation. This list cuts through the noise to show the aggressive pattern of dismantling structures designed to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and address structural inequities.
What New Zealand is currently experiencing is not merely a policy adjustment; it is the deliberate, systematic dismantling of Māori rights, protections, and representation. In under two years, the coalition government has undone decades of progress toward honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and addressing structural inequities.
Masking their agenda under the rhetoric of “equal citizenship” and “ending co-governance,” the government has taken aggressive action: They have abolished dedicated Māori health structures, stripped Māori voices from environmental and water governance, and reintroduced significant barriers to political representation. This legislative campaign sidelines Treaty principles from the very fabric of New Zealand law.
This constitutes the most aggressive legislative attack on Māori rights since the 1980s, affecting every sphere of life: health, housing, education, language, land, and political access. The result is clear: Māori are being pushed to the margins of decision-making in their own land.
Māori-Related Legislative and Policy Changes Under the Current Coalition Government (Chronological Order)
Late 2023
Law Giving Māori Input on Environmental Decisions
Action: Repealed provisions requiring Māori input in environmental law.
Minister: Hon Tama Potaka (Māori Development).
Status: Completed.Natural and Built Environment Act and Spatial Planning Act
Action: Repealed these Acts, which included Māori participation provisions.
Minister: Hon Chris Bishop (RMA Reform), Hon Tama Potaka (Māori Development).
Status: Completed.Use of Te Reo Māori in Public Service
Action: Directed agencies to prioritise English titles and reduce Māori language use in official communications.
Minister: Hon Nicola Willis (Public Service at the time), Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
Status: Implemented.Repeal of Smoke-Free Generation Laws
Action: Removed the generational tobacco ban and other measures. Māori health advocates say this disproportionately harms Māori communities.
Minister: Hon Casey Costello (Associate Health), Hon Dr Shane Reti (Health).
Status: Completed.Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga
Action: Began dismantling the national polytechnic network, which had Māori partnership structures.
Minister: Hon Penny Simmonds (Tertiary Education).
Status: In progress.
Early 2024
6. Māori Health Authority
Action: Abolished the Māori Health Authority.
Minister: Hon Dr Shane Reti (Health).
Status: Completed.
Section 7AA (Oranga Tamariki Act)
Action: Began the repeal of the clause requiring cultural connection for Māori children in state care.
Minister: Hon Tama Potaka (Māori Development), Hon Karen Chhour (Children).
Status: In progress.Review of the Treaty’s Role in Legislation
Action: Announced intention to review how Treaty principles are applied in law.
Minister: Hon Paul Goldsmith (Justice), Hon David Seymour.
Status: Under review.Withdrawal from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Action: Announced intention to withdraw.
Minister: Rt Hon Winston Peters (Foreign Affairs).
Status: Planned.Three Waters / Affordable Water Reforms
Action: Repealed reforms that included co-governance with Māori.
Minister: Hon Simeon Brown (Local Government).
Status: Completed.
Mid to Late 2024
11. Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards) Amendment Act
Action: Reinstated binding polls before Māori wards can be established. Councils must hold referendums in 2025 or remove Māori wards.
Minister: Hon Simeon Brown (Local Government).
Status: Completed.
Treaty Principles Bill
Action: Introduced by ACT; seeks to redefine Treaty principles and proposes a referendum.
Minister: Hon David Seymour (Minister for Regulation).
Status: Under debate; likely to fail in current form.Review of Kāinga Ora and Housing Policy
Action: Independent review and policy reset; may affect Māori housing initiatives and iwi partnerships.
Minister: Hon Chris Bishop (Housing).
Status: Ongoing.
2024–2025
14. Curriculum Redesign (English and Maths)
Action: Narrowing curriculum focus; concerns about downgrading te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori integration.
Minister: Hon Erica Stanford (Education).
Status: In progress.
2025
15. Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993
Action: Proposed amendments to streamline governance, succession and leasing of Māori land.
Minister: Hon Tama Potaka (Māori Development).
Status: Under consultation.
Regulatory Standards Bill
Action: Introduces “good law-making” principles excluding Te Tiriti; requires consistency statements; creates a Regulatory Standards Board.
Minister: Hon David Seymour (Minister for Regulation).
Status: At Select Committee; Waitangi Tribunal recommended a halt to consultation.Electoral Amendment Bill 2025
Action: Ends same-day enrolment; requires enrolment 13 days before election day; reinstates prisoner voting ban; requires 12 days of advance voting; changes donation rules.
Minister: Hon Paul Goldsmith (Justice).
Status: At Select Committee stage.