Māori MPs Driving the Rollback of Māori Rights and Te Tiriti
By Dr Harpreet Singh | drhsinghnz.substack.com | FB: @DrHSinghNZ
Since late 2023, New Zealand’s coalition government of National, ACT, and NZ First has pushed reforms that many Māori organisations and iwi see as weakening Treaty-based protections and Māori-led decision-making. What makes this moment extraordinary is that Māori MPs themselves are leading the charge.
The most controversial move was the Treaty Principles Bill, championed by David Seymour (ACT; Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Rēhia). It aimed to redefine Treaty principles as Crown governance and one law for all. Seymour called it clarity; his own hapū called it betrayal. The Bill was defeated after the largest protest in Parliament’s history, but its intent signalled a clear direction.
In health, Shane Reti (National; Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Wai) dismantled Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority. He argued integration would improve outcomes. Māori health leaders called it a breach of Te Tiriti and a blow to Māori self-determination.
Child protection is another flashpoint. Karen Chhour (ACT; Ngāpuhi) is repealing Section 7AA, which required Oranga Tamariki to partner with iwi and uphold Treaty principles. She says child safety first; critics say this cuts whakapapa protections and cultural care for Māori tamariki.
NZ First’s Māori bloc has doubled down on rollback efforts. Winston Peters (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi) has championed removing diversity and inclusion duties from the Public Service Act, framing it as merit-based reform. Casey Costello (Ngātiwai, Ngāti Hau, Ngāpuhi) moved from Hobson’s Pledge advocacy into Cabinet to back this agenda. Jenny Marcroft (Ngāpuhi) has supported these changes as part of NZ First’s caucus. Supporters call it fairness; opponents call it erasing equity tools and undermining Māori representation.
The coalition is also prioritising English in government department names and restoring referendums on Māori wards, moves critics say reduce Māori visibility and voice. Meanwhile, Shane Jones (NZ First; Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto) wants a single Ngāpuhi settlement, rejecting hapū sovereignty clauses. Tama Potaka (National; Mōkai Pātea, Whanganui, Taranaki) has broken ranks, calling the Treaty Principles Bill “unhelpful”, showing cracks in the coalition’s Māori bloc.
Why It Matters
This is not a series of minor policy tweaks. It is a coordinated rollback of Māori rights and Treaty obligations, dismantling Māori institutions and shrinking Māori influence in governance. For decades, Te Tiriti has been the foundation for partnership and equity in health, education, and representation. These reforms strip away those protections, leaving Māori communities more vulnerable to systemic inequities.
The Māori right-wing bloc inside the current government is not defending Māori rights. It is actively dismantling them. By fronting these changes, Māori ministers and MPs give political cover to policies that weaken Te Tiriti, marginalise Māori voices, and undermine the very principles their whakapapa connects them to.
Kia ora Harpreet, it is astonishing actually it is disgusting the harm the current maori coalition MPs have inflicted upon maori. Kupapa the lot of them. They forget or worse, dismiss the struggle of our tupuna when they beat back the absolute right of maori to be seen and treated as partners with tauiwi in our own land. All so they can gain personal power and the baubles of office. Sickening. Thank you for naming and indeed shaming. I wonder if any of these shameful people can hold their heads up when they go to their marae.