Constitutional
Ngā Toki Whakarururanga has joined, as a Claimant, the Waitangi Tribunal inquiry into constitutional issues affecting Māori.
The Tribunal will hear claims concerning grievances relating to the constitution, self-government, and the electoral system.
The Constitutional Kaupapa Inquiry (Wai 3300) began in December 2022, before the change of government in November 2023. It has taken on more urgent significance under the National/ACT/New Zealand First coalition who have: launched a direct assault on Te Tiriti o Waitangi through a proposed Treaty Principles Bill; is committed to removing or rewording references to the principles of the Treaty in approximately 40 laws; and has cancelled hard fought for policies, agencies, and services.
The Statement of Claim from Ngā Toki Whakarururanga, filed on 3 April 2024, challenges:
- the denial of tino rangatiratanga by the Crown’s claim unilateral and unlawful assumption of sovereignty;
- the rewriting of te Tiriti o Waitangi through the device of the “principles of the Treaty” including the latest bill proposed by ACT;
- the role of capitalism in denial of tino rangatiratanga, including through Treaty Settlements, devolution policies, and property rights; and
- Crown claims to exclusive rights of international treaty making that denies Māori the rangatiratanga over those decisions and relationships, including through free treaty and investment treaties.
The Tribunal has been asked to give urgency to those parts of the Constitutional
Kaupapa Inquiry that address two pending actions by the Crown:
- the introduction of ACT’s proposed Treaty Principles Bill, and
- the review of more than 40 laws that make reference to the “principles of the Treaty” and remove or replace those references with wording specific to the subject of the Act in question as interpreted by the Crown according to its distorted Tiriti/Treaty guidelines.
Updates on the Inquiry will be posted here as they become available.