Chris Hipkins has outlined Labour’s position on the Waitangi Tribunal, Māori-Crown relations and Te Pāti Māori’s proposal for a new Te Tiriti Commission.
In an interview with Te Ao with Moana, Hipkins says there is a “real opportunity for the Tribunal to return back to its core purpose” — ensuring the Government and its processes uphold Te Tiriti.
“Along the way, it’s been diverted to dealing with historic grievances, and that’s been incredibly valuable work… to make sure that the Crown was upholding its obligations. And that is where I see the Tribunal should now be focused, making sure it is providing that contestable stream of advice, making sure it is holding government accountable for living up to the promise of the Treaty,” he said.
Māori sovereignty and the Crown
Hipkins maintains Māori never ceded sovereignty when Te Tiriti was signed, but says the Crown asserted sovereignty.
“There will still be one government of New Zealand, but you have to give effect, you have to recognise our history and the way that government operates and in the way that Parliament operates.
“And that to me is what the last 40 or 50 years have been about, figuring out how we do that. How do we uphold the principles of the Treaty? How do we uphold the commitments that were made when the Treaty was signed through our government and through our Parliament?”
‘Set us back 40 or 50 years’
Hipkins says successive Labour and National-led governments have made significant progress in giving effect to Te Tiriti and addressing historical grievances.
“I think this government have weakened so much that we should have been able to be proud of as a country. Over the last 40 or 50 years when it comes to giving effect to Treaty o Waitangi, when it comes to redress and correcting some of the wrongs from the past, I think we made a lot of progress across successive governments led by Labour and led by National.
“And I think that they’ve turned their backs on all of that progress and they’ve really set us back 40 or 50 years. And what worries me is if they’re reelected, they wanna set us back 200 years.”
Te Pāti Māori’s proposed Te Tiriti Commission
Hipkins was asked whether Labour supports Te Pāti Māori’s proposal for an independent Te Tiriti Commission and a Te Tiriti impact statement for every bill.
The policy would establish a commission with powers to investigate ministers, government departments and Crown agencies, and assess whether executive decisions comply with statutory obligations arising from Te Tiriti.
Hipkins says some of those functions already exist within the current system, but Labour does not support giving an unelected body the power to override Parliament.
“I don’t agree with, and the Labour Party doesn’t agree with, an unelected body basically being able to veto law changes that have been passed by a democratically elected Parliament.”
