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Leader's LetterOctober 2004
Why the ‘Principles’ of the Treaty’ must go
These principles were never part of the Treaty which was signed in 1840. They were foolishly inserted into legislation in the 1980s, not at the request of Maori, but by the duplicitous, interfering Labour government of the time. Their insertion into the State Owned Enterprises Act almost immediately led to a continuous process of expensive litigation and inane political correctness. To make matters worse, successive Labour and National governments have put the ‘principles’ into over 30 pieces of legislation. Their existence has created a legal nonsense, with legal practitioners, parliamentarians and even academics unable to reach any consensus as to what they mean or how they ought to be implemented. The result has been an ad hoc tokenism toward Maori across a range of fronts which has aided neither Maori nor non-Maori. In fact, the application of these ‘principles’ has taken on a more insidious and sinister guise as a form of division. It has resulted in Maori being pitted against non-Maori in a most unhealthy and dangerous expression of prejudice. This must end. These ill-conceived and vexatious principles must be removed from legislation, never to infect our race relations again. When New Zealand First said in the 2002 election campaign we would fix the Treaty gravy train we meant it. While other parties bicker and squabble over who they might form coalitions with after the next election, New Zealand First puts forward constructive solutions to tough policies areas. Rt Hon Winston Peters
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The Treaty of Waitangi started off as a statement about citizens’ rights and protection as British subjects. It was a vision of people being equal under the law, living in harmony. Over the past twenty years the Treaty has mutated as a result of political interference, radicalism and judicial activism. Instead of binding us as our founding document, the Treaty now divides, polarises and separates us because of the inclusion in legislation of reference to so-called ‘principles’ of the Treaty.|
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